Robert Ferro

Mark Valerian, the second son in the Valerian family, is ill, but determined to live life to the fullest - and live forever if he can. When he discovers Bill Mackey, a young theatrical designer who is also suffering from this disease neither wants to name, he also finds the lover of his dreams. Together they develop an incredible plan to survive that will take them to Europe, to rustic Maine, and finally to the wonderful seaside summer mansion of the Valerian family, where father and son confront the painful ties of kinship ... and the joyous bonds of love. Originally published in 1988, it was Ferro's final novel, completed in the months leading to his death from AIDS as he cared for his lover Michael Grumley. This new edition contains a foreword by Tom Cardamone (Crashing Cathedrals: Edmund White by the Book)." Second Son is transcendently beautiful; exquisitely written, exquisitely restrained. The accomplishment of Second Son reminds us of what literature has always been about - the deep examination of the soul. Rich, poignant, unforgettable, it leaves one with a rare feeling of having been in touch for a little while with the things that really matter" - Anne Rice"In a purity of language met by purity of feeling, Robert Ferro's Second Son illuminates a tragedy of our time - the fusion of love and grieving, devotion and sorrowing - that is as venerable as the human heart itself. Earlier novels that center around sickness have turned out to be life-giving - Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain comes first to mind - and Robert Ferro enters this tradition with touching artistry, in his own robust yet tranquil voice, and with the lucent and simple clarity of hope." - Cynthia Ozick"I admired The Family of Max Desir. I love Second Son. The surprising story of the love between two men threatened byillness is full of fine authentic details and broader realizations about the human condition." - Doris Grumbach

"Incandescent angels of love ... an eclectic voyage." Two heroes, reflective Peter and Byronic Chase, indulge their youthful appetites in Florence. Over the next 20 years their paths diverge and reconverge. Chase marries into the Italian aristocracy and Peter pursues his passion for Lorenzo, a beautiful young Florentine. The past impinges on the present as the story of Chase's ancestor, Orvil Starkweather, is revealed - the secrets of his life sounding a counterpoint to Chase's. New York City's Central Park and the imposing figure of designer Frederick Law Olmsted provide a mysterious connection to Chase's life. The story of the two men unfolds in Florence and New York exposing the unimagined and startling connection with the past, and taking them finally on a fateful cruise up the Nile aboard the luxury yacht the Blue Star. Originally published in 1985, this new edition contains a 2020 foreword by Andrew Holleran

It was a family dealing with old values, acceptance and death. Max Desir loved his Italian roots and hearing his mother, Marie, recount tales of the old country. And he loved his American family, his father John a successful self-made businessman in New Jersey. As he came of age, Max discovered something else he loved - men - and met the love of his life in Italy. Now, at age 40, the family is split: Marie and his siblings accept Max and Nick as a stable, long-term couple but his father John does not. When a needlepoint family tree is to be hung at Christmas, it's too much for John. Then the spectre of death enters as Marie rapidly declines with brain cancer. Loyalties divided, acceptance of family is re-examined. In this beautiful, haunting tale, told in Robert Ferro's clear, impassioned narrative, he created a classic. "An honest, eloquent and entirely original novel ... at once realistic and mythological, intensely personal and public ... a triumph," opined Edmund White. Originally published in 1984, this edition includes a 2019 foreword by fellow author and friend Felice Picano.