Maisha Farzana 's Reviews > Boys Come First

➳ 4.25 stars

"Boys Come First" is an inspiring and hilarious debut novel written by Aaron Foley. The book follows three Black, gay millennial men searching for love, friendship and professional success in the Motor city - Detroit.

"When you're gay and Black at the same time, you just have to be extra, extra careful about the gay part."

Aaron Foley is a talented writer. His writing is very accessible and easy to follow through. The prose is exquisite. I personally didn't come across to a single dull moment while reading this book. The story, the setting, the dialogues, the communications between the characters - everything felt very real. It's also hilarious and very funny. I loved the humour in this book.

Dominick, Troy and Remy are wonderful characters. They aren't perfect. They are faulty; even frustrating at times. But I still couldn't stop myself from loving them because their voices are so raw that I could actually feel their pain as my own.

The pacing of the story is steady and flows smoothly. The author takes time to get us accustomed to the situation and to know the characters well. I never liked too much of the back-stories of the characters. I always felt they make a story unnecessarily long. But Aaron Foley proved me wrong. I loved to get to know Dom, Troy and Remy. The author doesn't shy away from letting us see how imperfect the characters are. The men- all three of them - makes irritating and horrible mistakes. The mistakes are such that I wanted to slap them. But soon after, they realizes their misdeeds and come into their senses. The characterization is so perfect that I was in awe. It truly couldn't have been better.

The voices of the characters are raw and unfiltered. They are infuriated and angry all the times. And I could actually feel their angry through the amazing narration. Sometimes, the comments they make, seemed too harsh. They are e way too much judgemental at times. I was hesitant about what to make of those parts. It felt the characters were venting their frustration on every white poeple out there. But soon enough, I understood, that is exact the point. Dom, Troy and Remy are angry and they are showing their anger. They are venting. Yes, they are harsh and judgemental, but you are bound to be that way at times when you have been wronged for too long -of course unless you are a SAINT. I have personally been in their shoes. I have first hand experience of racism. I had been criticised for my dark skin in the past. I still do get such comments from now and then. I know how angry it makes you. So, it is understandable that the three men are angry to see their town being taken over by the White minority. Though I was okay with the characters' behaviour in this book, I want to say that This is NOT right. You can't judge everyone under the same light, you shouldn't. If we end up hating all the white poeple because of the wrong deeds of some, it would raise the concern of White Fragility. So, Dom, Troy and Remy is not your perfect example. Be aware of that. It's okay to be angry but it's not ideal to act on it. That's all I have to say. Not going to go in deep because I don't think I'm learned enough to talk about these kind of sensitive topics.

Another thing I noticed while reading this book is that the voices of our protagonists are not unique or distinct. It is hard to identify them as individuals. All felt the same to me. I felt a little irritated at first. But when I looked closely I found it a praiseworthy thing. The characters aren't special as individuals. But when they came together; started nworking together - their voices turned into a powerful force. Together, they became a fire that would be extremely hard to extinguish.

I also want to mention something personal. Troy is half-Bangladeshi. I, myself as a Bangladeshi, am very proud to be represented. The small cultural things the author mentioned are correct. Whenever Troy cooked something of our cuisine, I found myself bouncing around with joy. It was a wonderful experience. Many many thanks to the author.

AND the opening line is - "I better not get my Black ass pulled over in hoe-ass, bitch-ass Pennsylvania...."


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☆ Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing me the arc in exchange for my honest review. All the opinions are my own.