Publisher's Synopsis
Damaged Innocence
What's Done in the Dark
In this gripping novel of combined truth and fiction, a suspenseful tale by upcoming author Tojon Montae is weaved from the debts of drama and turmoil.
A small rural town nestled in the shadows of the booming city of Memphis is the perfect place for a young black man with many secrets to hide from his problems. Tatum Collier, a young gay man just trying to find his place, has made a career of deferring his dreams, emotions, and feelings to hide his most disturbing secret--his lifestyle, one not of his choosing.
This secret he has kept bottled up is now coming to the surface in a way he never could have predicted. As if finally giving in to the decay of his inner self, all the good inside him fades and is being taken slowly by the justified darkness.
His disturbing relationship with his mother, May Rachel, and relentless stepfather, Mr. Harris, drives him into manhood early. After moving in with his best friend, Steven, Tatum discovers this may have been a destructive decision on his part. But by the time he realizes this, it's far too late.
Tatum is living proof of what could happen to a person who feels abandoned by his friends and family. Looking for love in all the wrong places and being too young to know the games played, Tatum is hurt one too many times. When he finally gets a true opportunity at being happy with the handsome and charismatic David, a soccer player from Florida, his past mistakes put all those dreams to rest. Tatum Collier didn't ask for this life, but escaping wasn't an option. Not now!
The secrets he has worked so hard to outrun have finally caught up with him, creating an entirely new person--a person not even he recognizes. Now learning to embrace who he is becoming, Tatum tries to maintain his innocence by any means necessary--no matter whom he has to hurt to accomplish this, no matter how damaging it may be.
