Dream Boy is a stunning and heartbreaking novel by Jim Grimsley that recounts the story of a painful first love between two adolescent boys who bravely sustain each other in a world of domestic disintegration.

In a small, rural Southern town, Nathan secretly yearns for a life free from his father's oppressive presence. His father is abusive, and his mother remains distant, leaving Nathan to fend for himself in a world filled with secrets and fears.

Enter Roy, the boy next door. Despite the challenges they face, Nathan and Roy form a bond that grows into a covert, yet powerful relationship. Together, they navigate their fears, desires, and the societal pressures that threaten to tear them apart.

As their relationship intensifies, Nathan's home becomes increasingly unsafe, forcing him to make a daring escape with Roy to the haunting ruins of a plantation. Through lyrical and evocative writing, Grimsley explores themes of violence, tenderness, trauma, religion, and queer love against the backdrop of the 1950s rural South.