In Liberating Troy, a sequel to the author's Siege of Troy, protagonist Troy Tyler resumes his education at Louisiana Christian College (LCC) and then begins graduate training at Tulane University, there facing new academic, social and sexual challenges with the same intensity and wit he showed in the previous novel.
Professor Royal, his smart but wacky teacher, recruits Troy and two boyfriends into an Honors English club, The Chattertons. The boys collaborate on a drama relocating to San Francisco the short, disreputable life of poet "Tommy" Chatterton; but college authorities ban production and penalize the authors for the play's offensive use of Beat Generation language and behavior. Troy's minister-father also protests. The scandal popularizes the boys, who become the brightest literary lights on campus.
Graduated, they re-unite in New Orleans, Troy and Jack for advanced literary study at Tulane, Ben to repair Harleys, write poetry, and volunteer at Le Petit Theatre. They mix with Kaiden, Troy's pal from an evangelical camp and now roomie and partner. Monte, Troy's roommate from the camp and now a USAF fighter-jet pilot, visits and confesses attractions to Troy. Le Petit expresses interest in producing the suppressed Chatterton play, rekindling family problems it had earlier occasioned.
Professional rivalries, family conflicts, and interpersonal tensions complicate relationships; academia, affections, lifestyles, entertainments -- Mardi Gras, the Quarter, the River, the clubs -- perplex Troy's efforts to reconcile the hunger of his mind with the yearnings of his heart, but also create surprising opportunities and wondrous adventures.
Through brooding introspection, satiric wit, and relatable themes, this beautifully crafted novel tracks a maturing writer's discovery that the achievement of personal liberation is an evolving task, problematic and incomplete, challenging and hopeful.
