Golden Boys
By Phil Stamper
Bloomsbury Publishing
Phil Stamper’s last Young Adult book As Far As You’ll Take Me was a tribute to every queer kid who had to leave their home in order to find one. Golden Boys, which was written in the middle of the Covid pandemic, is all about friendship, connection, being there for each other … and leaving home to find out what you really want.
Four best friends living in a small town in America have known each other since pre-school. Gabriel, Reese, Sal and Heath have bonded through their striving for academic excellence, their big dreams and their queerness. In the summer break before their last year at high school, they leave the hometown bullies behind and head out on four vastly different adventures.
Gabriel leaves his parents and his sister behind to travel to Boston to volunteer for a non-profit organisation. The charity relies on donations to fund its tree planting activities and Gabriel finds he has to confront his worst fears about interacting with strangers.
Reese flies to Paris for a course at a design school and his two mums join him when the course is finished to travel through Europe. Apart from missing Heath, with whom he has the strongest bond, he finds that there are so many different ways he can take his passion for design.
Sal’s mother is the principal of their high school and Sal is unhappy with how she dealt with some homophobic bullying at the end of the last school year. She does however have a best friend who is a senator in Capital Hill. Through her, Sal has been able to secure a much sort after internship where he can put his bow tie collection to good use.
Heath’s parents are in the middle of negotiating a divorce and he is bussed out to his mother’s estranged sister in Daytona. Fortunately he gets to know his cousin who is his age, but there is some doubt as to whether his family home will even be there for him when he returns.
It’s a big world out there and 12 weeks is a long time. Fortunately, they have their best friends to Facetime with, or text or call. As well as dealing with the challenges and disappointments of their new lives, they must also reflect on their relationships back home and the complexities of falling for your best friend.
Lezly Herbert
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