Providence: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Description

An introverted, gay English professor falls for an enigmatic sophomore who lures him into his web of chaos and deceit.

Mark West, a professor stuck in the middle of Ohio, is smart enough to get a job at an elite liberal arts college but not smart enough to know better when he meets enigmatic sophomore Tyler Cunningham. In Tyler, Mark sees another way of being in the worldhe finds Tylers self-possession both compelling and unsettling. Caught in the rush of sex and secrets, Mark ignores the increasing evidence that Tyler cant be trusted. But by the time Mark comes to his senses, the irreparable damage is done. Providence shows how feeling trapped in our own lives can lead us to make choices we otherwise would not and the ways in which sexual desire can distort our senses of self and other, right and wrong.

Intense, propulsive, and impossible to put down, Providence is perfect for readers of P. J. Vernons Bath Haus and Douglas Stuarts Young Mungo, as well as Patricia Highsmiths Talented Mr. Ripley and Garth Greenwells What Belongs to You.

Author Bio

Craig Willse was a 2021 Lambda Literary Fellow. He received his PhD in Sociology from CUNY Graduate Center. He has written for Joyland, Fence, and HAD, among others, and this is his first novel.