Golden Boy

A Novel

By: Abigail Tarttelin

Narrated by: Christian Coulson, James Langton, Abigail Tarttelin, Keith Nobbs, Kate Reading, Anita Sabherwal

The Walker family is good at keeping secrets from the world. They are even better at keeping them from each other.

Max Walker is a golden boy. Attractive, intelligent, and athletic, he's the perfect son, the perfect friend, and the perfect crush for the girls in his school. He's even really nice to his little brother. Karen, Max's mother, a highly successful criminal lawyer, is determined to maintain the facade of effortless excellence she has constructed through the years. Now that the boys are getting older, now that she won't have as much control, she worries that the facade might soon begin to crumble. Adding to the tension, her husband, Steve, has chosen this moment to stand for election to Parliament. The spotlight of the media is about to encircle their lives.

The Walkers are hiding something, you see. Max is special. Max is different. Max is intersex. When an enigmatic childhood friend named Hunter steps out of his past and abuses his trust in the worst possible way, Max is forced to consider the nature of his well-kept secret. Why won't his parents talk about it? What else are they hiding from Max about his condition and from each other? The deeper Max goes, the more questions emerge about where it all leaves him and what his future holds, especially now that he's starting to fall head over heels for someone for the first time in his life. Will his friends accept him if he is no longer the Golden Boy? Will anyone ever want him - desire him - once they know? And the biggest one of all, the question he has to look inside himself to answer: Who is Max Walker, really?

Written by 25-year-old rising star Abigail Tarttelin, Golden Boy is a novel you'll read in one sitting but will never forget; at once a riveting tale of a family in crisis, a fascinating exploration of identity and a coming-of-age story like no other.

©2013 Abigail Tarttelin (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Gently written reality

There is some harsh reality but the characters are all very real and understandable. I miss them already!
Thank you

Brilliant!

The author brought astounding breadth and depth to the subject and tore through my emotions from page to page. This is the ultimate guide to understanding intersex without being coldly clinical.

loved the cast

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

the book is read so amazingly, i couldn't stop listening to it and i can't stop hearing it in my head now that i've finished it. the reader who reads daniel, in particular, is smashing. a super cast for a simply fabulous book.

Very Complex Human Suffering & Redemption

This book is a unique coming of age story involving tragic circumstances in a very rare circumstance that impacts the lives of every character at a profound level. It would be an interesting book club selection inciting heated debate over a controversial set of circumstances that touch on sexuality, violence, politics, parenting, relationships, and gender identity. You will be swept up in the deep emotional trauma & confusion of many characters, which are beautifully drawn. This was a book I couldn’t turn off.

Amazing Difficult well written.

While difficult at times to listen to because of how moving and traumatic some of the events were in the book, the story is one that needs to be told and this one was so well done.

Profound

I have no idea why I decided to get this audiobook but I did and I am profoundly happy.

The story and the performances are engaging and compelling. The story is sometimes raw and many times inspiring. The performance and presentation were perfect.

Get this. Listen to it completely and without distractions so you can appreciate the story and the passion. Awareness drives perspective and understanding.

I learned so much!

I learned so much about gender identity in this story---things I have never considered.

Loved this book

Don't let the subject matter scare you off. This is a beautifully written and brutally honest book about relationships. I loved the different points of view and how the author realistically portrayed everyone. The author nicely illustrated the disconnect between parents and teens and the anguish it can bring. More importantly, she did it with characters that really stick with you. Definitely a book I was sorry to see end and haven't been able to get off my mind since I finished it.

Thought Provoking

I know nothing about being intersex. This books opened my eyes greatly. Well worht the read. It touched me deeply.

Good company

Story about an intersex teen struggling with his identity and his place in the world.

Beware: There is a harrowing event described in a painfully detailed scene that lasts about 20 minutes. Hard to stomach.

The main protagonist narrator was great. The others could have been better. But the book was still a pleasant company on my long car rides.