There are times in your life when you read a book and you realize its importance. I recently read Because I Remember You by Trey Burwell, and I was moved.
Brought up by lesbian mothers, a gay father, a sister, and their friends, I was lifted up my whole life to believe everyone deserves to be the person they are inside, and be with the person they love.
My story is, unfortunately, unique. Because I Remember You roughly parallels the author’s real life. He grew up in a tight-knit and religious community. Being gay wasn’t an option. On the last day of high school and throughout the summer before he started college, Monte, the main character, realizes the feelings he’s been experiencing for the new guy are real, and begins to face who he really is. This doesn’t fit with the world he’s been brought up in.
The struggles he goes through as he explores his own coming out—coming out to friends and finally embracing who he truly is—is raw and emotional. I think the story should be read by everyone so they understand how hard it is for people in conservative areas with unyielding communities to spread their wings and become themselves.
Thankfully, Trey is continuing to write. He is currently writing a retelling of Peter Pan titled Up on Mount Molasses, where the lost boys will be rebranded the ‘Eers on the Mount. If you want to follow his progress and see what else he is working on, you can find him on TikTok, Facebook, or you can find all his links on Linktree. You can get his book on Amazon or some independent bookstores like Huck and Puck in California.
Monte has always been able to live up to the never-ending demands of his pastor father and the Church, but on the last day of his senior year, he runs into trouble: Amias, an adorable boy with a glowing smile and cologne that would make angels sing.
Monte’s encounters with Amias begin with harmless glances, but they quickly morph into something more dangerous when Amias selflessly inserts himself into Monte’s life on the last day of high school. Suddenly, Monte can’t focus on his religious commitments, and the problem only gets worse when the Church learns of his dark secrets, ruining his last summer at home.
With the Church behind him and college just beginning, Monte finds himself unraveling as his inexplicably consuming feelings for Amias help him discover a world of love he’s never known.
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Hannah Willow - Author 