Unbroken - a novel from Larry Benjamin

Officially launched today is Unbroken, the second novel (and third book in 18 months) from Philadelphia based author Larry Benjamin, and it's quite a story, already receiving rave reviews.

In short, with as few spoilers as possible, the novel is the pseudo autobiography of Lincoln de Chabert, whose story begins when he falls in love with Orlando at kindergarten:

"You can't marry another boy," they told me.
"Why not?" I asked, confused. "You said I could do anything. You said I could grow up to be President."
"You can't marry another boy!"
"But you said I'd grow up, and fall in love, and get married."
"You can't fall in love with another boy!"
They began to watch me closely.


And so Lincoln's fight begins, and, like the author, he takes no prisoners. Lincoln lives, fights and loves with a fury, a fierce passion fuelled by the hatefulness of others in the face of his refusal to deny who he is. It is a journey of courage and pride, of growing up and falling in love, of trying to survive in a world of bullying and hostility:

I let myself go silent in defense, refusing to acknowledge the hateful words: Brainiac. Sissy. Faggot. I refused to acknowledge their hostility, this hostility, this constant hostility, which seemed to be driven less by the fact that I was almost certainly gay, than by the fact I had never denied their accusations. I knew instinctively that to deny, to lie, was to agree they were right, I was wrong, I was broken. That I would not, could not, do.

And it is a story told with that same courage and pride.

Unbroken is available in paperback and ebook editions, from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kindle and all good book retailers. For more information and purchase links, visit www.beatentrackpublishing.com/unbroken.

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