The Milkman's on His Way - Pre-Order

Published 1 June 2024, pre-orders available now.

Introduced by Paul Baker, afterword by Torsten Højer

“It was good to be Ewan, I said to myself, and good to be here doing this. I’m no longer a muddled kid: this is man’s estate.”

Ewan Macrae is gay. At the turn of the 1980s, being queer in a Cornish seaside town seems impossible.

The teenage world he lives in is obsessed with girls, jobs and surfing, yet the handsome Leslie - his ripped surfing buddy - preoccupies Ewan's thoughts.

Unsure if his parents will ever accept his sexuality, Ewan knows that in his claustrophobic hometown he’ll never fully be himself. Perhaps in a bustling and far-away city like London there is a whole new world waiting…

Published by the ground breaking Gay Men’s Press in 1982, The Milkman’s on His Way was one of the first explicitly queer young adult novels to appear in the UK. For many gay teenagers of the early 1980s, it was a rare chance to read life-affirming stories that put their experiences at the centre. 

The book was celebrated on publication, but scandal and controversy followed later. Published just before the AIDS pandemic took hold, The Milkman’s on His Way was hated by the Daily Mail and later suppressed under Section 28 due to public outcry about its “obscene,” sexually explicit contents.

“For some, this honest tale of young love was an affront to their prejudices. To some of us it was a sign we were not alone. It remains as touching and relevant as ever – a gay classic.” Sir Ian McKellen

“The book glorifies homosexuality and encourages youngsters to believe that it is better than any other sexual way of life”. Jill Knight, Conservative, Edgbaston. House of Commons debate, 1987.

“Our children are being corrupted and depraved by it.” Patrick Moore

“David Rees's novel is a gentle and moving coming-of-age and coming-out story. With tenderness, Rees depicts the initial isolation and fear that queerness frequently meant in the 1980s, and can still mean today, and he gives hope to readers that actually it is possible and even likely that you can live a happy, fulfilled life as a queer person. This is well worth reading for its sweet, thoughtful portrayal of queer life in Cornwall and London in the 1980s.” B.J. Woodstein, author of We're Here! A Practical Guide to Becoming an LGBTQ+ Parent; Are the Kids All Right? The Representation of LGBTQ Characters in Children's and Young Adult Lit; and other books.

“Virtually pornographic.” The Telegraph.