Inspired by a real-life story, this was one of the first novels about same sex relationships that attracted a mainstream audience. A coach and his athlete grapple with their sexuality in a world that’s not ready for them. Pub date: 1998 (New Yorker), 2005 (first edition) They seized each other by the shoulders, hugged mightily, squeezing the breath out of each other, saying, son of a bitch, son of a bitch, then, and easily as the right key turns the lock tumblers, their mouths came together, and hard, Jack’s big teeth bringing blood, his hat falling to the floor, stubble rasping, wet saliva welling, and the door opening and Alma looking out for a few seconds at Ennis’s straining shoulders and shutting the door again and still they clinched, pressing chest and groin and thigh and leg together, treading on each other’s toes until they pulled apart to breathe and Ennis, not big on endearments, said what he said to his horses and his daughters, little darlin.” A hot jolt scalded Ennis and he was out on the landing pulling the door closed behind him. Excerpt: “Late in the afternoon, thunder growling, that same old green pickup rolled in and he saw Jack get out of the truck, beat up Resistol tilted back.