The Seduction of Carter Ridge (A Novella), by Buck Jones

FOR FANS OF GORE VIDAL OR ANDRE ACIMAN, A CHARMING NOVELLA THAT EXPLORES A YOUNG MAN'S FIRST EXPERIENCE AWAY FROM HOME.

What happens when a young gay man is alone in Chicago for the 1952 presidential nominating conventions?

This intimate look at Carter Ridge's first tentative experiences is the second novella in the trilogy prequel to the novel “The Last Good Republican.”

It's 1952 and Carter is fresh out of college. Having grown up in the Deep South where even a city like Columbia or Atlanta can feel like a small town, he's never been too far away from the adoring eye of his doting mother or his extended family. But with the sudden passing of his father, Carter is now not only the head of the family but has also inherited a fortune. Thrust into this unfamiliar role he must quickly set himself on the path of the man he wishes to become.

But who is he?

Sensitive. Intelligent. Idealistic. And a closeted gay young man. The passions of youth still burn for Carter, and he is drawn to politics to make a difference, to help bring about an end to Jim Crow and segregation in his home state of South Carolina.

Unsure of which political party he will hitch his future to, he decides to go to Chicago where both national party conventions are held that year. It is his first extended period of time alone, away from the familiar and particularly from his family, and one evening he meets Alex.

For readers of gay literary fiction, gay romance, and gay historical fiction and fans of André Aciman (Call Me By Your Name), Madeline Miller (The Song of Achilles), or Gore Vidal.

A prequel to “The Last Good Republican,” this novella is the story of Carter Ridge exploring both his sexuality and his politics, in a journey that sets him on the course for his future.