The Day Harken Darringer Died

What I actually read was the 1st part of this memoir, What's In A Name, which for some reason isn't listed in GR. This was a case of me buying sales in Smashwords and being lured by a cover. I knew zero about this going but I'm glad I found it.This first volume recounts the early years, from birth to college, of Harken Darringer, as recounted by whom I assume will become his alter ego, [a:DoctorBuckles 14682387 DoctorBuckles https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1492870631p2/14682387.jpg]. To say that Harken had a difficult upbringing would be an understatement. He was raised in the '60s & '70s in St. Louis. His parents were a lesbian and a gay man who decided to marry in an effort to “blend in” with societal norms. Needless to say the results are disastrous and Harken, in particular, bears the brunt of their colossal failures as human beings. Harken's mother Carlotta is a monstrous human being and IMO his father isn't much better. His passivity allows for the cruel abuse of his son and he does virtually nothing to help him. Harken is basically left to his own devices, having to practically raise himself, and overcome all the obstacles Carlotta sets up for him. His lack of knowledge and having no-one to confide in or ask questions of leads to some harrowing first experiences and I can only hope that things changed for much better in the subsequent installments, [b:Nom de Guerre: California 55269837 Nom de Guerre California DoctorBuckles https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599531935l/55269837.SY75.jpg 86183842] and [b:Appellations 55269866 Appellations (Harken Darringer, #3) DoctorBuckles https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599532130l/55269866.SY75.jpg 86183943]. I'll be reading them soon.