Boys Come First

BOYS COME FIRST

By Aaron Foley

How many of you out there have a group of friends that has endured the test of time? They could be persons you grew up with as children, high school/college classmates, or a found family upon reaching adulthood. We grow, we change, we evolve as people, as do our friendships. The foundation, on the other hand, endures, as we discover in Aaron Foley’s novel of three 30-something friends, Boys Come First.

Ever have one of those days? Dominick Gibson had one. His life in New York was on track; a longtime boyfriend, a lovely residence and a career in advertising, hopefully a child in the future. In one day, he lost his job because the company folded and came home to find his boyfriend cheating on him. Gathering his things, he drove back to his hometown of Detroit to pick up the pieces of his life and decide what to do.

Remy Patton was a rags-to-riches success story in the world of real estate. A Black gay man who worked hard to get where he was, he is now the CEO and founder of his own company, the 2501 Agency, and he has become a local celebrity. In his profession, he has been witnessing the gentrification of the city by white people with money: New Detroit vs. Old Detroit, and for his business, he wants to capitalize on it with a questionable business deal. His love life takes a back seat to his career, though he has two brothas he sees off and on unofficially. But is it enough?

Troy Clements is the son of a multimillionaire with an African American father and a Bangladeshi mother. After his mother died, and feeling the neglect of his father who was obsessed with the business, Troy pursues a career in teaching at a community charter school, which was owned by the University of Detroit Mercy. With the financial troubles the school was in, and a buyer anxious to swoop in and use the land for more gentrification, things look bleak. To add to the mix, his boyfriend is showing the effects of long-term cocaine use and has been violent with Troy.

Will Dominick achieve his dream? Will Remy’s choices come back to bite him? Will Troy come to terms with his father and his boyfriend? Will the bond between these three friends stand up to the test?

Foley brings the reader into the world of Dominic, Remy, and Troy as Black gay men, through the obstacle courses of dating, disparities in career opportunities, complicated relationships with family members, and the changing landscape of their hometown. He illustrates challenges Black gay couples have that white gay couples don’t and the longing for a man who values them as the men they are. Make no mistake, there is humor in the story as well (e.g., Dominick’s crash-and-burn Grindr hookups).

He also brings a fourth main character into the story—the city itself. Having extended roots in Detroit myself, the pictures of the various places around the city he paints are vivid, and the challenges Detroit has faced over the years are real. At the end of the day, love, growth, and resilience prevail, and I acknowledge Foley for bringing us characters who invest us in their story and their lives.

Boys Come First is available through Amazon, Belt Publishing, Barnes & Noble, and his website (aaronkfoley.com). In addition to his career as a journalist, Foley is also the author of The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook and How to Live in Detroit Without Being a Jackass.

Thank you, Aaron, for giving us another window into what friendship is all about. Representation matters!