Review - The Lightkeeper's Son by Daniel Elijah Sanderfer

Leland lives with his parents on a North Carolina resort island. It's an idyllic life, but it gets a bit lonely for a gay teenager when all the tourists leave once the summer season is over. Doug has just been kicked out of his home when his wealthy ultra-conservative father finds him with another boy. With nowhere else to go, he heads to the family's seldom-used beach house on Leland's island to try and figure things out. Once his credit cards and phone are cut off, it's clear he will have to move on. Sparks fly when the two boys meet on the beach, but both assume Doug won't be there for long.

“The Lightkeeper’s Son” is a very short and sweet young adult romance. The relationship between the two boys develops very quickly, which they acknowledge, but it's not really all that unrealistic. The guys are young (about seventeen) and emotions can take control quickly at that age.

Doug's circumstances are, sadly, all too believable. He handles it better than many older people would. Doug is perhaps more self-aware than many other boys his age, but given his family, it's quite understandable that he would see the world from a more mature outlook. Leland seems like such an easy-going and sweet-natured young man. You can imagine the two boys having quite complementary personalities, but you have to wonder about their future. Leland would be happy to stay on the island forever, but what about Doug? Does he want to go to college and have a career?

“The Lightkeeper’s Son” is available from Amazon (commissionable link).