The Book: In this unusual coming-of-age novel, author Jay Quinn surveys the expanding emotional and sexual boundaries of Matt, and eighteen-year-old surfer in coastal North Carolina's Outer Banks. The novel follows Matt as he leaves home after his high school graduation to work for his uncle, a land surveyor. Matt's story of claiming his place as a surfer and as a gay man in the small and large world of construction sites, fishing piers, and surf breaks is a triumph of storytelling.

As Matt's dedication to surfing and learning the nuances of the technical aspects of his job join seamlessly, he also learns of his own capacity for erotic adventure and need for emotional connection. Matt's many layers of learning to be a man are the stuff of hard-earned experience and a textured reading experience that is rare in the coming-of-age genre.

"The beauty of his prose and the strength of his characters are apparent from the opening sentence. This book is a sheer joy to read." - Lambda Book Report

"Quinn has written a treasure: a novel with a whole landscape behind it." - Jim Grimsley, author of Dream Boy

Amazon: Metes and Bounds: A Novel (Southern Tier)
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: Southern Tier Editions/Haworth Press (October 9, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1560231858
ISBN-13: 978-1560231851

Other Books in the List:

Back Where He Started (2006)
Amazon: Back Where He Started: A Novel
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Alyson Books; 1st Pbk Ed edition (March 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1555839274
ISBN-13: 978-1555839277

The Good Neighbor (2006)
Amazon: The Good Neighbor: A Novel
Hardcover: 328 pages
Publisher: Alyson Books (June 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1555839339
ISBN-13: 978-1555839338

The Beloved Son (2008)
Amazon: The Beloved Son: A Novel
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Alyson Books (May 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1593500548
ISBN-13: 978-1593500542

Rebel Yell: Stories by Contemporary Southern Gay Authors (2001)
Amazon: Rebel Yell: Stories by Contemporary Southern Gay Authors (Gay Men's Fiction)
Paperback: 182 pages
Publisher: Southern Tier Editions/Haworth Press; 1st edition (January 1, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1560231610
ISBN-13: 978-1560231615

Rebel Yell 2: More Stories of Contemporary Gay Southern Men (2002)
Amazon: Rebel Yell 2: More Stories of Contemporary Gay Southern Men
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Haworth Press; 1st edition (June 15, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1560231580
ISBN-13: 978-1560231585

The Boomerang Kid (2008)
Amazon: The Boomerang Kid: A Novel
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Alyson Books (November 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1555839541
ISBN-13: 978-1555839543

The Mentor: A Memoir of Friendship and Gay Identity (2000)
Amazon: The Mentor: A Memoir of Friendship and Gay Identity
Hardcover: 206 pages
Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (April 12, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0789004968
ISBN-13: 978-0789004963

The Author: Gay lives with a Dixie twist are the specialty of writer Jay Quinn. In his acclaimed novels The Beloved Son, The Boomerang Kid, The Good Neighbor, and Back Where He Started, Quinn takes a thoughtful, compelling look at the unique demands that family and love place on gays in mainstream culture south of the Mason-Dixon line, from small towns to resort towns. Quinn is also the editor of Rebel Yell and Rebel Yell 2, anthologies dedicated to fiction by and about Southern gay men. Quinn is also the author of The Mentor: A Memoir of Friendship and Gay Identity. A native of North Carolina, Quinn lives in South Florida.

Top 100 Gay Novels List (*)

External Link to the Top100 Gay Novels List (simple - without photos)

External Link to the Top 100 Gay Novels List (wanted - with photos)

*only one title per author, only print books released after January 1, 2000.

Note: I remember to my friends that guest reviews of the above listed books (the top 100 Gay Novels) are welcome, just send them to me and I will post with full credits to the reviewer.

Other titles not in the top 100 list:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/top50MM