REVIEWED by Jen B.
TITLE: The Importance of Being Kevin
AUTHOR: Steven Harper
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 218 Pages
RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2019
BLURB:
Kevin Devereaux’s life can’t get worse. He’s on probation. He’s stuck with an unemployed ex-convict dad. And he lives in a run-down trailer on the crappy east side of town. To keep his probation officer happy, Kevin joins a theater program for teenagers and falls hard for Peter Finn, the lead actor in the show—and the son of the town’s leading family. Despite their differences, Peter returns Kevin’s feelings, and for the first time, Kevin learns what it means to be in love.
But Peter’s family won’t accept a gay son—let alone a boyfriend from the wrong side of the tracks—and in their conservative town, they must keep the romance secret. Still, they have the play, and they have each other, so they’ll get by—
Until a brutal attack shatters Kevin’s life and puts Peter in danger of going to jail for murder.
REVIEW:
Every once in a while a YA/NA story grabs my attention, and this was one of those stories. Kevin got in some trouble when he was in with the wrong crowd that resulted in him ending up on probation for almost killing someone when he joined in beating up a young gay kid. He now realizes where he went wrong, how he was lashing out to cover up his being gay, is ashamed and regrets his behavior and carries the guilt with him every day keeping a picture of the young man as a reminder. Needing a job or other program to fulfill his probation requirements, he ends up running for a role in a play where he easily falls into the role of being someone else, someone confident and not at all like himself, landing him the role, thereby keeping him out of juvey. This is where he meets Peter.
Peter is cast opposite of Kevin, and the two hit it off right away. Unfortunately, at the play, Peter is just Peter Finn. Outside of the play, he is Peter the heir of the family empire, the business that employs and holds influence over, much of the town. As Peter and Kevin begin their relationship, it is noticed by another man involved with the play, who takes an interest in Kevin as well. He proceeds to attack/rape (very little detail, but you know it happens) Kevin and blackmails him further with the threat of sharing a video of Kevin and Peter kissing. Both Peter and Kevin are closeted at this point – Peter knowing his family will disown him, and Kevin not wanting to take the chance of his father not taking it well either.
Peter finds out what happened to Kevin and confronts the man, beating him up as a result. When that guy ends up dead, Peter is accused of his murder. There is a lot going on here with Kevin and his father, Peter and his family, and how that is all tied together. The class differences definitely come into play, as does the family drama involved with that and the gay issue. Kevin and his dad have some other things against them as well, and Peter’s family doesn’t hesitate to use that and their power to their advantage, not to mention the murder charge hanging over Peter and the mystery of who actually did the deed.
This was one of those stories where the characters captivated me. I loved Peter and Kevin, essentially total opposites, who, despite their differences, fell in love and made it work. One had money and things, but no familial support; the other had next to nothing, but when it counted, had more support and compassion from his single ex-con parent. This is a story of young love, and even with the bad aspects, has a happy ending and heartwarming parts. I kept turning pages and really enjoyed the writing style. I’ll definitely be keeping a lookout for other work from Mr. Harper in the future.
RATING:
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