Jerome Klingemann, Loser Magnet

In this contemporary picaresque novel, a young man leaves a small Midwestern town to escape from his undistinguished family. He wants to be his own queer self, free of provincial prejudice. He finds true friendship and camaraderie, and he also endures hardship, deceit, and disillusionment. In the end he feels he has achieved more than he dreamt possible. However, he will also learn that an apparent conquest can be laced with crushing defeat.