Trailer Trash

I had no idea that Marie Sexton could write such a strong, heartbreaking book. I found her contemporary M/M novels to be fine, but none of them left a lasting impression on me. I think Trailer Trash will linger for a long time. Maybe it's because I grew up in the 1970s and 80s when we were all just learning about AIDS, and I didn't know any LGBTQ people because they were all in the closet. So reading about the ignorance and cruelty that Nate and Cody faced, and the shame and guilt that Nate felt as he came out to himself, seemed personal even though I'm a cisgender het woman. Thankfully Sexton gives them a happy ending - or at least a HFN ending. I'll bet many of my high school and college classmates were going through the same experiences as these characters. This book made me wish I had listened more carefully and been more supportive of them.