Mary C

Golden Boy is the story of a happy successful English family. Their life is idyllic, but they guard a secret, their elder son, Max, is a an intersex, neither a boy nor a girl.
What a secret for child keep; what a challenge for the parents. How do they know they are doing the right thing? And is there a "right thing?

The author draws you into their lives and sweeps you to the dramatic conclusion. This book is fast paced and even suspenseful, sometimes funny, and always interesting. There is a lot to discuss here for a book club, about parents and children, and about differences and intolerance.

I read A Reliable Wife (by this author) some time ago and I have been eagerly awaiting this new book. Often the "next" book does not come intrigue me quite as much as the first, but this was an exception. The beautiful, flawless use of language is the same. The setting powerfully ( a small country town) defines the characters and moves the plot forward. And there is also a wife in this book who is also unreliable. She came from way out in the country where "children had never met anyone who was not related to them,and was bought by the richest man in town, to be his wife. A dark love story unfolds after she meets Charlie Beale, the town butcher, and this book kept me turning every page. I was not prepared for the ending and I slept with the light on after I closed the book.