Faun

One part thought-provoking social commentary and one part pure fun, Faun deftly captures the feeling of discovery as sex rears its small (or large) head during puberty. Even though our young hero is ostensibly straight, the idea of falling outside the boundaries of family expectations reflects the experience of young gay men. And there are gay characters within the story. This book is not a romance, it is about awakening. I very much wish for a sequel. This is definitely a book that needs a wider audience.

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One morning Gilberto Rubio wakes up with a five o’clock shadow. Puberty. But why are his legs getting so furry? And what are these little horn nubs pushing out of his scalp? What’s that nub of a tail that’s making it so hard to sit on anything but couches? His peers begin to treat him like a freak, while his anxious mother Lupita crosses herself and worries about his eternal soul and what might be happening to it.

When his mere presence begins to stir the hormones of anyone nearby and the pregnancy rate suddenly skyrockets at Buenaventura High, Gilberto panics and, hopping aboard his trusty skateboard, vanishes into Hollywood before hitchhiking out of Los Angeles to find the mysterious stranger he met online, who just might have some answers.

So begins an urban fantasy, a new fairy tale about lust and faith, Los Angeles and devotion, as only award-winning author Trebor Healey can evoke, in the pages of Faun.

The Purple Fantastic Steam meter gives this a 4. This book gets very steamy as the story is about sexual awakening – so it is not for the prudish – and yet the fearless and funny transformation and sexuality within the book is kind of the point. It is a brilliant piece of literature.