Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Gaylit
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
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About The Book
A group of coastal Californians battle wildfires, racism, and their own demons in five distinct narratives set in late 2019 and 2020.
First Born Sons is populated by a cast of LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies who struggle to find love, comfort, and fulfillment. As the novel progresses, characters interact across the separate narratives and are brought together for a birthday and a disastrous Black Lives Matter demonstration.
A man returning to the horrors that made him leave Mississippi, a blind gay man flirting with love, an FTM transgender starting hormone therapy, a woman struggling to protect her sons from her ex-husband’s surge to right-wing politics, and a teenager with two gay dads searching for his Black surrogate mom paint a disturbing tableau of modern-day America.
The Review
First Born Sons span the turbulent years of 2019-2020, when the United States had become chaotic with the election of a racist, autocratic leader, a pandemic, hatred and death.
The story takes readers into the lives of a multitude of people and their personal situations. Strangers become friends, a son deals with his elderly mother, parents raise their children, families go through divorce, separation, and interracial situations, a son wants to connect with his surrogate mother, a younger man forms a relationship with an older one, and death comes to an innocent.
As characters deal with their issues, the author takes readers to various places, including Thailand, New Orleans, Mississippi, Spain, Mexico, the Bahamas and the Santa Cruz Mountains in California.
There are so many characters here. My favorites are Byron Boudreaux, Lamar Davis and George.
Byron Boudreaux owns a home just outside of Boulder Creek, and George is his neighbor. Byron stays with his partner Rafael in the Bay Area, and lets his close friend – Lamar Davis, a blind DJ – stay in his in Boulder Creek house. Byron and Lamar’s connection goes back years, linked by their families: Camille, Byron’s mother, and Sofia.
Lamar is frequently alone at Byron’s home, which he doesn’t mind. His work as a DJ is an important part of his life, and solitude works for him. George is friends with Byron, and also looks out for Lamar.
George is older than Lamar, and has different views where relationships are concerned. No matter how he feels about Lamar, he decides he can’t continue with just a casual connection. George was in love once, but it turned into tragedy.
These stories revolve around past tragedies and a world that has taken them unexpectedly back into racism and prejudice. All of the characters will have to face the consequences of the choices they made, and the new ones to come in a world in turmoil.
First Born Sons is a powerful novel, full of emotional turmoil. Meis is an outstanding writer – he never slows down the pace. There are many special moments throughout the novel, especially Elijah’s poem and Colton’s feelings. I was taken with the romantic scene between Lamar and George, where the music video by Bomba Estereo for “Amar Asi” (To My Love, To My Love) is introduced to George.
I highly recommend First Born Sons – it was very hard to put down, but it’s so much more than a page-turner. Well worth reading more than once.
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
