At the age of 12 Martin Moran was involved in a sexual relationship with an older man, a counsellor from a Catholic boy's camp. Thirty years later, he set out to find and confront his abuser.
The Tricky Part is the story of the man Martin Moran became, and the ambiguous relationship with his abuser that would mark his life. Growing up in an ordinary family, a family that belonged to Christ the King, the local church and school, Martin Moran absorbed the lessons of Catholicism in his childhood, the fraught mysteries of the spirit and the flesh.
Into Martin's world came Bob, a veteran of the Vietnam War who was building a ranch out of the mountain wilderness. Bob taught the boys under his care how to milk cows, raft rivers and mend barbed wire fences. However, he also noticed Martin, a young boy who was unsure of himself and befriended him. The friendship, and the sexual abuse, lasted for three years.
The abuse, and the relationship, shaped and scarred Martin. Told with startling honesty, humour and understanding The Tricky Part is the story of a complex friendship, a relationship that damaged but also inspired the transformation of Martin Moran's life.
