Boy Friends

An intimate and original memoir of love, grief and male friendship by one of Scotland's brightest young talents.

Ever feel like you were fated to be friends with someone? An alchemy in your meeting, instant fondness - part chemical, part kismet. This is how I've felt about every friend I've fallen in love with - none so much as you.

In 2018, Michael Pedersen lost a most cherished friend soon after their collective voyage into the landscape and luminosity of the Scottish Highlands. Sitting at a desk at The Curfew Tower, Northern Ireland, Michael begins to write to his departed friend - Scott Hutchison. What starts as a love letter to one magical, coruscating human soon becomes a paean to many friendships - perhaps all friendship.

In Boy Friends, Pedersen confronts the bewildering process of grief. As memories rise to the surface - both heart-wrenching and hilarious - he recalls his younger self: the overly sensitive boy growing up in working-class Edinburgh; his befuddling stint in an ancient collegiate university; a short-lived, combustible career as a lawyer; and, foremost, the gorgeous male friendships that have transformed his life.

Written to glitter, with intoxicating energy, Boy Friends is a powerful depiction of friendship and loss, a homage to the beauty of moments shared.

MICHAEL PEDERSEN is a prize-winning Scottish poet and author. His second collection, Oyster (2017), was a collaboration with Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit. He has been awarded a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship, among other accolades. Pedersen also co-founded Neu! Reekie!, a prize-winning arts collective known for producing cutting edge shows across Scotland and the world.