And Yesterday Is Gone — Dolores Durando

An epic coming-of-age novel about the bonds and history between two men that intertwine their families together for better and for worse.

Steve is a seventeen-year-old runaway when he meets, Juan, the son of a fugitive drug lord. The two work together, deep in the Calaveras Mountains of California, on a large marijuana-growing operation run by Juan's father. Their friendship is fueled by the brutal conditions and horrific events that define their day-to-day lives.
The utter loneliness of their world creates a lasting bond, and the boys finally escape. Steve knows the two will be friends for life; Juan hopes they will be something more. When they grow to manhood, Juan's love for Steve endures. Steve marries, has children, and fulfills his dream of becoming a journalist for San Francisco's leading newspaper. Juan becomes a famous artist who loves Steve's son as though the boy was his own, confessing to Steve that, "He is the only part of you that I can ever claim."

By turns heartbreaking, emotional, and provocative, "And Yesterday Is Gone" is a must-read novel about the changes unexpected, unacceptable, and life-threatening that can alter our lives over the decades.