Description

By Bruce W. Bishop

In 1979, when an introverted young man with culinary aspirations comes of age in Toronto after taking his first job at a private women’s club, he risks being devoured by the city’s elite.

Rory Rafferty embarks on a journey that will shape not only his future, but his very identity. A shy twenty-year-old from a Nova Scotian coastal town, Rory dreams of owning a seafood restaurant, but first he must navigate the glittering maze of Canada’s largest city.

When he lands a job as a busboy at an exclusive women’s club, he enters a world brimming with culinary delights, eccentric friends, and the pulse of the city’s nightlife. But amidst the glamour, Rory grapples with identifying and accepting his sexual orientation after assuming he didn’t have one during his teenage years…

In Grow Up, Rory Rafferty, follow our main character’s tumultuous journey to self-acceptance—a tale woven with misadventures, personal revelations, and the heady rush of first love.

Set against a backdrop twenty years before the Internet changed our lives, this heartwarming novel about young adulthood dives deep into the joys and challenges of youth. It offers a poignant reminder of the timeless quest to find oneself in a world filled with social biases and unexpected romance.

Whether you’ve grown up in a Gen Z world, or if you fondly recall the vibrant tapestry of the late seventies and early eighties, step into Rory Rafferty’s captivating universe.

Buy your copy today to meet Rory and a cast of unforgettable characters who breathe life into a somewhat less complicated era.

PRAISE FOR GROW UP, RORY RAFFERTY

Bruce Bishop’s fictional histories hold more truth than most textbooks. He seeks out the silenced voices of LGBT+ people, poor people, and others on the edge of Canadian history, and puts them centre page.
~ Jon Tattrie, Author of Peace by Chocolate

As a Toronto boomer, Grow up, Rory Rafferty was a welcome trip to the Toronto of my youth when things seemed to be less complicated than today. Rory’s story is an important one — a young man struggling with his emerging sexuality and having to confront uncomfortable aspects about himself. Highly recommended!
~ Kathleen Sharpe, Founding Executive Director, Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund

With both small-town Nova Scotia and the bustling city of Toronto as backdrops, Grow Up, Rory Rafferty explores what it is like to be inexperienced, young and Queer, and the ways people find the courage to be themselves and pursue their dreams. Well-researched and cleverly applied to the narrative, this book should be on the to-be-read list of anyone looking for a glimpse into life as a Queer Canadian in the late seventies.
~ Aren Morris, Halifax Arts Educator, and Author of We Happy Few

As a young man coming out in downtown Toronto in the late ’70s, I loved revisiting some of the hot spots of my youth. The author captures the excitement of being a young “sexual outlaw” in straitlaced Toronto. The book brought back many cherished memories. The characters are engaging, and the plot moves briskly with humorous twists and surprises. A great vacation read.
~ Francisco Alvarez, Toronto-based curator and artist, and Owner of Axis Art Projects

A delicious book. The sense of place, of youth, and of the friendships of our youth swept me away. The Toronto of old comes alive —vividly. The excitement and horrible uncertainties of being young in a big city worked. The sexual coming out narrative was sensitively written. (And I loved the hateful hypocrites!)
Nancy L. Wigston, Literary Critic/Book Reviewer, Toronto