The Forgotten Son
“Don’t he look like a sweet little bunny?”
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The kind-hearted delivery nurse had no way of knowing that her well-intentioned words would doom Bunny Boy Potts to a lifetime of ridicule. Well, that and the unfortunate way his ears stuck out like two ping-pong paddles.
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Living with his unhinged single mother, his entire life is spent apologizing for existing while scraping by for enough to survive. Food and love—neither is freely available in the Potts’ home, but the sharp sting of the strap is always on stand-by.
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When Bunny meets Raquel, he thinks she could take him from scarecrow misfit to normal teen. Growing in the sunshine of her approval, Bunny even gets a job from his rancher neighbor, TC. For the first time in his life, Bunny can buy clothes that fit. He can eat enough to stave off the hunger that used to sing him to sleep every night. Along with a paycheck, he earns a nickname and the grudging respect of those around him as he begins to rise above the hand he’s been dealt.
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But Bunny Boy Potts wasn’t meant to have a life like everyone else.
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BJ Sloan serves us hope and despair in this gripping family saga set in 1970’s rural Texas.
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Reader Reviews
"Contrasting poverty and privilege, kindness and cruelty, BJ Sloan’s debut novel has a voice so genuine you can almost feel the ranchland dirt of its small-town Texas setting. Sloan brings to life, and death, a diverse cast of emotionally wounded characters in a story immersed in love, loss and vengeance."
COLIN HOLMES
Author of The Oxygen Farmer and the 2023 Ippy Award Winner, Thunder Road
"A delicious slice of true 1970's Americana—Texas style. Love, hate, betrayal, and passion are all rolled into a tight narrative with enough suspense and conflict to keep you glued to the story.​"
LARRY ENMON
Author of The Burial Place, Worst Case Scenario, Murder so Foul, Class III Threat, City of Fear, and Bio Watch
A GRIPPING, WELL-WRITTEN STORY
The Forgotten Son by BJ Sloan is a captivating read from start to finish. The story follows Bunny Potts, a complex and compelling character whose journey will keep you hooked page after page. [...] If you are looking for a book with great character development, suspense and a plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this one is definitely worth reading.
A FANTASTIC DEBUT
Sloan writes with a Southern flair all her own. The prose is tight and brisk, with a story as entertaining as it is heartfelt. This is a debut novel not to be missed.
ENGROSSING AND VIVID
The Forgotten Son is a well-written, gritty tale of despair, lust, violence, and the search for family. Sloan will pull you in and keep you there but be ready to hang on—it’s a wild and bumpy ride! Sloan’s debut novel is engrossing and vivid. She will have you laughing out loud on one page and gasping in horror on the next.
A REAL PAGE-TURNER
Sloan’s rural/small-town setting and the gritty characters who live there come alive on the page. As the story builds inexorably toward a stunning climax, you won’t be able to catch your breath until you finally know how things will turn out for Bunny Boy.