Cameron and Shep are best friends, and everyone in their small New England community knows it. More than friends at seven years old, they share everything - including their bodies. Samuel, Shep’s brother, is not above calling his only brother a faggot. Julian Ribisi, Cameron’s older brother, wouldn’t dream of that sort of label.

Fast-forward twenty years. Shep has been an organ recovery coordinator for years and married to Paige, who has been labeled “a good catch” by Shep’s mother. And she is. But is that really what Shep has been looking for?

Cameron is marrying Zelda and continuing a lifelong talent for playing oboe with a series of orchestras. Why does Shep continue to long for him? Why can’t he be happy with his perfect marriage to his best friend, or in any other relationship with a man?

This book has important things to say about sexuality, but it does so in a circuitous and confusing way. An omniscient narrator does not allow the reader to infer, and instead of simply suggesting, said narrator repeats Shep’s obsessions ad nauseum.

This quality inhibits the book’s theme to the point that it gets lost in the story. A good editor and some fact-checking would also be in order (there is no people-mover in the Des Moines airport). Overall, this is a fine subject for a book, but not the best treatment the author could’ve given the subject.