Innocence Waning is a work of literary fiction that tells the story of 16-year-old Chezdon Morrison who lives in Melbourne, Australia. Over a three-week period, Chezdon comes to terms with his sexuality as he navigates the challenges of life as a precocious teenager.
During the course of Chezdon's story, he discovers actions do have consequences which are unintended. Material wealth indeed has limits in terms of providing enjoyment of life and there are stimuli that impact on his choice of partners that dictates that words do in fact matter. Besides his peers, dysfunctional adults play a part in his development as he abuses both alcohol and illicit drugs and desperately wants to lose his virginity.
In the course of Chezdon maturing quickly, he experiences both physical and psychological torment that most teenagers can identify with in some form. The invested reader will be treated to complex characters whose lives intertwine with those of the adults, sometimes with grave consequences.
The themes presented in this book are universal. The challenges faced by contemporary teenagers who realise that they are not 'straight' are laid out in an exquisitely detailed manner. This is not a coming out story, it is one that proves that gay teenagers can go about their lives as complex nuanced beings where sexuality is indeed an afterthought.
Chezdon progressively loses his appeal as he rapidly matures and makes questionable life choices. He redeems himself at the conclusion of the book as he begins to appreciate the elements of the relationships that he has with his friends. As quickly as he loses himself, he has to find himself in order to survive.
This book will be available in multiple formats on or before 31 August 2018.
