Head Under Water

A novel exploring the damage of self-denial, the emotional cost of secrecy, and the harsh truth that not all prayers get answered.

 

Set in a small lake town in the Ozarks, closeted twenty-two year old Ian Walker spends one transformative summer caught between desire, shame, and the beliefs that shaped him. As Ian tries to shed his internalized homophobia, his secret older boyfriend pulls him deeper into hiding when a chance encounter with a kind stranger reveals a truth he never believed existed: there's a world where he can simply exist instead of fighting to stay afloat.

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What to expect:​​

• Party culture

• Found family

• Religious trauma

• Lakeside summer

• Performative masculinity

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Content Warning:

Head Under Water contains explicit sexual content, including depictions of same-sex relationships, drug and alcohol use, religiously-motivated conversion therapy and suicidal ideation. This novel is intended for adult readers (18+) and explores themes of religious trauma, internalized homophobia, and addiction.