Review: A good start
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 30, 2014
Runaway is the first in a series of Rough Boys books centering on the lives of three gay men: Ty, Dani and Kaedan. This book describes the intersections of their lives in Heartland City as they strike out away for home for the first time.Ty comes to the city a runaway after surviving his homophobic father's horrifying abuse. Ty doesn't even think he's gay, but his psychotic father senses he MIGHT be and seeks to beat the "weakness" out of him. Having barely survived his latest assault, Ty (who is 17) runs away from school and catches a bus to the city depleting his meager funds. He is propositioned by a young man, Tommy, to come live in a "boys house", but Ty is suspicious of the flamboyant man and suspects he's a prostitute. Ty opts to sleep on the streets, but the weather takes a freak turn for the cold and he nearly dies--would have except for his discovery by Abraham, a giant, black ICU nurse, who birings the fever-addled homeless Ty to his apartment. Abe is gay (because nearly everyone in the story is gay) and attracted to his new charge, though he makes no effort to seduce him. Abe nurses Ty back to health and it seems all is going well until one early morning kiss sends Ty on the run. Good thing too because his father had a lead on Abe's apartment.Dani has come to the city to find a job and perhaps make his name in entertaining. He's young, blonde and brash. He takes Tommy up on an offer for a free week's stay at Sally's--a brothel of sorts for gay boys. There he meets Kaedan--a Chinese-American femme who is getting ready to begin his career as a rent-boy. Dani and Kaedan experiment a bit--to help Kaedan's technique--and become close friends. Dani doesn't want to be a prostitiute, so he moves on and finds a job at a cafe where he sells coffee and performs. One day he catches a young man running for cover and shields him from an angry older man--turns out it's Ty, and he was running from his dad. Dani and Ty become friends and, realizing Ty is living on the streets, Dani offers to let him wash his clothes and shower at his place.There are then some interludes where the three boys party together (Ty, Dani and Kaedan) particularly with a local band called Leather. Two of the musicians, Nigel and Sean, are enamored with Dani and Kaedan, respectively. Ty's attractive, but asexual. Of course, with Rock-n-roll comes drugs and Ty gets wrapped up in it. He manages to get a job at a grocery unloading trucks, but he spends his money on booze.Mostly this book sets up the relationships that will be further explored in later sections. It is clear that Ty's father Richard is a menace that will continue to hound Ty--and Abe hasn't given up looking for the lost boy. Nigel wants Dani, but nearly loses him by assuming he was a rent-boy like Kaedan. Sean wants Kaedan, but Kaedan wants money so they aren't going anywhere...yet. In the background we have abuse, both physical and drug, and a lot of heartfelt moments. It's a fast read with interesting characters and finishes the story arcs enough to have resolution but leaves enough open to entice readers on to the next book.