Mama's Boys

What happens when your best friend faces lifethreatening problems and there's no one you can turn to for help? Award-winning author Matthew Whitehead addresses this question in his debut novel Mama's Boys. A former newspaper writer and child abuse investigator, Matthew Whitehead uses the experiences he's witnessed to write a heroic and haunting story that centers on two misfit brothers who live in a small Georgia town. The novel is narrated by the oldest of the brothers. They wake up one morning to find their father has abandoned them. Their mother is uncaring and prone to sudden, violent outbursts. The brothers don't get along with their teachers or classmates. Their only comfort is each other, where they do their best, though often unsuccessfully, to stay out of trouble. Life improves when another awkward youth, Kyle, moves into their trailer park. The boys become good friends, but the brothers soon learn their new buddy comes with some baggage. That baggage is Pete: the abusive, over-controlling boyfriend of their friend's mother. The boys seek out distractions from their confusing home lives, but this only leads to more trouble. Soon they have to confront what's happening at home when Pete becomes even more aggressive and violent. Kyle starts disappearing for days at a time from school, refusing to tell his friends why he goes missing. No one else seems to notice or care. It's not until tragedy strikes the tiny trailer park - and the three boys - before everyone from local politicians, police and even the media suddenly decide to pay attention. That's when the real trouble begins, and the brothers find themselves running for their lives.