With or Without You

Eighteen-year-old Evan is ready to graduate high school and spend more time with Erik, the sweet, sexy guy he's been secretly dating for a year. But he doesn't want to abandon Davis, his lifelong best friend and fellow social pariah. So when a charismatic and dangerous runaway named Sable recruits Evan and Davis to join a group called the Chasers, Evan is curious to learn more. But as Sable educates the Chasers on gay history, their meetings quickly morph into violent encounters and dangerous sexual pursuits. Evan must choose between Erik and Davis before the Chasers' final initiation — a ceremony that involves having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive member of the group who has successfully "chased" the AIDS virus.

Chasers hits hard and is sure to get teens thinking and talking about important issues in a meaningful way.

"While Farrey's debut novel will likely draw attention for its chilling subject matter — 'bugchasing,' or intentionally trying to contract AIDS — at its heart it's a novel about gay teens who are removed from (and often ignorant of) their cultural history, and the ways in which they try to connect to it. After years of being bullied because of their sexuality, best friends Evan and Davis are graduating from high school and are ready to get on with their lives. And that means getting out the hell out of Dodge — or rather Madison, Wis. — to attend college in Chicago in the fall. The boys' friendship is tested, however, when Davis gets drawn into a new gay community group with militant overtones and a three-stage recruitment process ('Revolution. Liberation. Identification'), and Evan tries to keep his gorgeous and brilliant college-age boyfriend a secret from both Davis and his own family. Farrey, a YA editor, in no way glamorizes the world of bugchasing, but he adeptly demonstrates how seductive the promise of belonging and power can be for those who haven't known either. Ages 14 — up. (May)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Eighteen year-old Evan and his best friend Davis get beaten up for being loners. For being gay. For just being themselves. But as rough as things often seem, at least Evan can take comfort in his sweet, sexy boyfriend Erik — whom he's kept secret from everyone for almost a year.

Then Evan and Davis are recruited to join the Chasers, a fringe crowd that promises them protection and status. Davis is swept up in the excitement, but Evan is caught between his loyalty to Davis and his love for Erik. Evan has lied to keep his two worlds separate. Now his lies are about to implode...and destroy the very relationships he's been trying to protect.

When are you too far in to get out?

 

Eighteen-year-old Evan and his best friend, Davis, get beaten up for being loners. For being gay. For just being themselves. But as rough as things often seem, at least Evan can take comfort in his sweet, sexy boyfriend Erik

—whom he’s kept secret from everyone for almost a year.

 

Then Evan and Davis are recruited to join the Chasers, a fringe crowd that promises them protection and status. Davis is swept up in the excitement, but Evan is caught between his loyalty to Davis and his love for Erik. Evan has lied to keep his two worlds separate. Now his lies are about to implode…and destroy the very relationships he’s been trying to protect.