Book Title: The Orphan From Shepherds Keep:
Three Men, Three Intertwined Lives, One Rightful Place In Each Other’s Heart – A Gay Novel
Author: Lindsay Law
Narrator: Bolton Marsh
Release Date: June 16, 2025
Pairing: MM
Tense/POV: Third person, mostly present tense, alternating POV
Genres: LGBTQ+ Coming of Age Fiction
Tropes: Coming of Age; Forbidden Love; Love Triangle; Unrequited Love; Slow Burn; Found Family; Bittersweet romance; Queer History background
Themes: Self-Acceptance / Identity Formation
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 10 hours and 24 minutes
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
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Over a period of thirty years, three gay men struggle to define themselves and make their mark on a turbulent and unwelcoming world that is so filled with anger that love has become a luxury.
Blurb
Over a period of thirty years, three gay men struggle to define themselves and make their mark on a turbulent and unwelcoming world that is so filled with anger that love has become a luxury.
The townsfolk describe him as “prettier than a boy should be.” ELI APPLE is embarrassed by such remarks but soon learns to celebrate all the pleasures his beauty invites. He possesses the voice of an angel and the sound of his tender falsetto echoes throughout the green forests that surround his New England home. A rough, older boy, FERRIS COOPER, dazzled by the youngster’s loveliness and captivated by the hymns he sings, secretly follows him on his daily walks. And into both their lives arrives BENJAMIN BERGER, savior to one and beloved by the other. The adventures of these three men become entwined in a surprising tapestry of love and betrayal over the course of thirty years.
Straddling the worlds of music, religion, and art, and set in an era that begins with Ronald Reagan describing America as a “shining city on a hill” and ends with Donald Trump’s legacy of “American carnage,” these characters come of age while America is coming apart. They celebrate as gay marriage is legalized and suffer as gun violence explodes across the country. And when a deadly virus threatens and nations close their borders, they must struggle to survive in an America they no longer recognize.
Emulating the warmth and complexity of male friendships as portrayed in Hannah Yanagihara’s A LITTLE LIFE while also embracing the earthy sensuality of the same-sex couples in Garth Greenwell’s CLEANNESS, the characters in THE ORPHAN FROM SHEPHERDS KEEP are real and imperfect and utterly unforgettable.
“I was reading last night, at the library, about the Year Without a Summer. Ever run across that?”
Eli shakes his head.
“The year was 1883. Here in New England, terrible storms lasted into May and June. Freezing, weird weather with blue snow—caused by massive volcanic explosions halfway around the world. Skating parties on Lake Champlain for the Fourth of July. Can you imagine? Nothing could grow. Much poverty and starvation here in the Kingdom.”
Eli focuses on the young man’s mouth as the words tumble forth. As he speaks, the menacing face becomes more and more agreeable.
“I love that library,” Ferris says. “They have a great comics collection.”
He lights another of his Luckys.
“So, if you’re not familiar with the famine of 1883, how about the Trail of Tears? Know about that? The Indian death marches?”
Again, Eli answers in the negative, impressed by the range of Ferris’s interests.
Ferris pops a piece of pink bubble gum in his mouth. “I have one question, and I hope you don’t mind.”
Eli raises his eyebrows, giving permission to proceed.
“Doesn’t it bother you that you sing like a girl?”
This is asked gently, without judgment. Eli thinks how to answer as he settles back on the bench, the smell of smoke adding a layer of decadence to this summer afternoon.
“No. When the first note leaves my mouth, I see the surprised looks. But then the audience leans in and the music wins them over; I win them over. I am an unexpected curiosity—I am neither male nor female, but an odd combination of both. I sometimes feel beautiful, and sometimes shockingly handsome. And for that moment, I hold everyone in my hand, never knowing whom I will make happiest.”
Ferris listens, attentive, leaning closer until Eli can almost taste the candied bubblegum.
“And what are you wearing, when you see yourself singing? A colorful dress? Or maybe a velvet tuxedo?” His smile turns mischievous. “Perhaps you are naked?”
Eli wonders whether to answer. He’s never discussed the feelings that fill him as he sings. He tried once, with Brother Arlen, wanting to understand, but the young priest was embarrassed—making Eli feel at fault for having such emotions.
“Depends on my mood. And the song. Handel can be playful, and so I am playful too. Verdi makes me feel pretty, but Henry Purcell feels manly to me—born of the landscape somehow.”
Eli is embarrassed by his revelations, yet also pleased to have admitted them aloud, even if to a stranger.
“Well, this is a surprise.”
“What is?”
“This entire afternoon! Meeting you has been an unexpected pleasure.”
Eli stands, wishing he hadn’t spoken so plainly.
“The sheep have had their fill. We must go.”
“Do you skateboard?”
“Been to the park in Irasberg a few times, nothing more.”
“You’ll join me one day?”
And there again, that odd smile.
“Sure.”
“When?”
The look on Ferris’s face is one Eli has read about in his books, but never seen—his face is filled with longing. That’s the word novelists use.
“Friday? I get the afternoon off on Fridays.”
“I’ll pick you up. Three o’clock.”
Ferris walks away, stubbing out the cigarette in the tall grass.
Eli had once pictured himself singing in a dress. Also, naked. How did Ferris know?
Eli realizes the boy is implying these images are sexual. But are they? Eli understands so little, yet he knows he wants to feel that touch again—the one that made his insides feel all queasy.
Lindsay Law has produced scores of television plays, dozens of films, in addition to a pair of productions on Broadway. Many of these works have been nominated for Emmys, Tonys, and Oscars. He was the Executive Producer for the PBS drama series, AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE from 1981 to 1995. He was the President of Fox Searchlight Pictures from 1995 to 2000. He lives in Litchfield County, Connecticut. This is his first novel.
If you enjoyed this book and the time you spent with these characters, help spread the word on-line, at your local bookshop, and directly with your friends. The author would enjoy hearing about your experience while reading this book and invites you to ask any questions you may have about this story and his story.
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