Lemon: A Memoir

Steve is a nerdy bookworm raised by laid-back Catholic parents who give him a quirky, and incomplete, education about girls. “It’s like the birds and the bees,” they tell him, but the details are fuzzy and mostly confusing. Coupled with some unsettling early childhood experiences, Steve comes to an unfortunate conclusion: when it comes to girls, he doesn’t stand a chance. By the end of junior high, Steve stumbles across his mom’s sex education book – meant for her rhythm method class – and shares it with his buddy, Coby. The two boys learn more than they bargained for, not only the basics, but also some eye-opening lessons on alternative lifestyles. Despite having only kissed other boys, and never a girl, Steve realizes he’s probably heterosexual. After this revelation, Steve struggles with a shifting sense of identity. Feeling frustrated and betrayed, he lashes out at his domineering friend Coby, and begins a downward spiral. He slowly morphs into what his father has always called him – a little shit-ass kid.