A COMPLICATED LOVE

A STRAIGHT FATHER, A GAY SON AND LESSONS FROM A ROAD TRIP

"What happens when a father hears that his son is gay and begins to confront his own demons about homosexuality? What happens when the father and the son go on a road trip, each with his own agenda, and they place an audio recorder on the dash of the van?

A Complicated Love is the result of those conversations - tense, tearful, painful and cathartic. It’s about the fears, taboos and judgments that the author had, as he was eventually compelled to come out on behalf of his son - authentically, from religion and as a parent."

Seminar or presentation
A complicated love - an invitation to engage - can be configured as a 1-1.5 hr keynote or presentation or as a half day or full day workshop.

Best audiences
Business groups, PFLAG groups, Gay advocacy groups, GLBT Community Centers, Parent groups, Human rights groups, Colleges and Universities, Conferences, Churches, Parent-teacher associations, Bookstores, Social responsibility and ethics groups.

Buy the book

Buy the paperback version at Amazon
Kobo [Canada]
Barnes and Noble [US]
Smashwords.com [Worldwide]
Also from your Apple iPad Bookstore

More information about A complicated love and the book is at ComplicatedLove.com

Feedback from readers

A Complicated Love is perhaps the most honest and revealing exchange I’ve ever encountered between a parent and a young adult son who has just come out. The story is beautifully written and a joy to read.
Cherie MacLeod
Executive Director, PFLAG, Canada.

When this book arrived I was determined not to open the package until I finished the reading I needed to do for my book club. However, over breakfast I found myself poking at the package, until eventually it just fell into my hands – what a beautiful cover! Then ignoring my own promise to just read the preface, I soon found myself totally absorbed by “A Complicated Love.”

What makes this story so compelling and engaging is the intimacy and honesty with which both father and son engage in the dialogue. The beauty of this book is that the author allows himself to be vulnerable, not only with his son, but with his audience. A good read for anyone who has ever been challenged by the pain of personal growth.
Nijole Kuzmickas
TV Producer/Director

I finished A Complicated Love a couple of weeks ago while on an airplane. There were several times while reading the book that I put my head on my husband's shoulder and wept. I couldn’t even explain to him why I was crying. I think I was just so touched by the openness, the pain both the author and Jared expressed, and the “complexities” of truly loving another human being. 
Wendy Ludovici Twycross
Empowering Lives International

A Complicated Love gives me hope that despite our stereotypes, we have the capacity within us to shift our focus and truly relate from our inner being. Dene Rossouw tells a wonderful story of how unconditional love for his son, Jared, allowed him to overcome barriers and grow closer to him. Families can learn a lot from this powerful book.
Stephen Hammond
Author of Managing Human Rights at Work

A Complicated Love is a compelling read. As the relationship between father and son unfolds through frank and revealing dialogue, it packs an emotional punch. Dene and Jared share their poignant journey of discovery - each man ultimately learning that by letting go of old baggage they open their hearts and minds to accept each other. I am the parent of a gay son, but I recommend this book to any parent; at its core is the enduring message of love in its purest form.
Tracey Wimperly
Principal at Walk the Talk Communications

I've been one of those fortunate to read this book! A great read and challenge for a raw reality and honesty in our lives. How blind we can be to think we can live veneered principled lives, even with our loved ones, and thus rob us of the true integrated lives that we are supposed to have with family and others. Love is firstly acceptance with no strings attached, no hidden agendas, no ideological barriers, no falsehood. Let your assumptions of others be challenged, let fathers find their sons, and sons their fathers.
Alasdair Verschoyle
Director- Irish Books Direct

Love and courage drive a father and son to deeply understand each others' worlds. Through understanding and respecting one another’s differences, their example provides hope for disconnected relationships.
Sharon Habib
Communication Strategist

This book touched me deeply with it's candid and often very emotional discussions between a father and his gay son. They take the reader along as they embark on a road trip through Nova Scotia with a genuine desire on the part of the father to understand his gay son and let go of his prejudice around gay relationships. They hold nothing back in order to find common ground and a love and understanding for each other that they had lost a long time ago. The beauty of this book is that it shows us, that if we come from a loving place and have the courage to be open and vulnerable in any relationship, magic happens.
Kucki Low
Parent

I’m reading "A Complicated Love" and I’m filled with admiration for the author's candour, love and courage in understanding his son's homosexuality. It's a dialogue between a straight father and a gay son - a powerful illustration of the healing that all men can experience through being vulnerable and opening their hearts and emotions to each other.
Chris Neep

One of the first things that struck hit me was Dene Rossouw’s authenticity in his writing. Another reader put it this way, “he allows himself to be vulnerable both to his son, and to his audience.” Thank you for writing this book - I have purchased a copy for each of my family members in an effort to help us communicate better and so they can get to know one of my friends. I knew a long time ago this book would be authentic, and I didn't really know how much until I began to read. 
Karen Murray
BBA - Senior Account Specialist, Mobio Identity Systems Inc.

A courageous and poignant piece of writing. One of the most eloquent and raw expressions of what it means to be human I have ever experienced. I would wish this on every child and parent who cared so deeply, who wanted to connect so intensely that they would reevaluate all they hold to be true and look deep inside themselves to find genuine acceptance, love, and respect. Imagine what our world could become through this practice of empathy - a chance that a history of prejudice and wrong perceptions might stop repeating itself. I was left with a sense of longing for more.
Kamilla Karoli
Project Manager
MITACS - Skills Training & Entrepreneurship Program

What a courageous act for the author to open up his personal story for us all to witness. What stands out for me is pg 93 ... the piece about googling 'father'... Searching for the real father and the databank coming up blank. The gay issue was to my mind a vehicle to exploring what a father and son relationship is about, and how the author as an individual with passions fits into this. The author's journey into understanding himself and digging deeper into who he is and is becoming is what stays with me.
Sharon Douglas
CEO - Life Tasters International

A Complicated Love is a great example of how one can form a close bond with an adult when it might appear that the opportunity had been lost. It was really encouraging to read a happy ending in a real life situation. The book was a great read.
Tina Coleman
Senior Supervisor - Young Parent Program

A Complicated Love is an honest and well written book that explores the relationship between a father and his gay son. The author reflects on his own prejudices and beliefs and how they may have shaped his views about homosexuality and the way he should communicate with his son. Most of the discussion occurs while driving through the roads of Nova Scotia. I often felt that I was a voyeur sitting in the vehicle with them as they discussed current and past memories, feelings and experiences. Dene uses frank language and discusses subjects that I expect are rarely shared between a father and son.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a gay son or daughter and to anyone who wants to better understand the complexity of relationships between parents and children, whether gay or straight. The book is an excellent read for parents and youth/young adults who are willing to move beyond superficial communication topics and move into open, personal and revealing issues that can move the relationship to a deeper level. At the end of the read, I was left wondering how different my relationship would have been if I had the courage to have this type of discussion with my Dad and in turn, if he had the courage to do the same.
Jack Boomer

A Complicated Love has already touched me in a very deep and meaning way. Much like the name of the author's company, it is the "authentic dialogue" that makes it so captivating. It's a beautiful story made more beautiful by its honesty and authenticity. The book also spoke to me personally. I was raised by a single mom who had all the usual high hopes and dreams for me. Living in conservative Oklahoma, there were lots of societal, religious, and family norms that seemed suddenly at odds with us. I came out to my mom as gay when I was 20. I'm 51 now yet I can still feel the pain and anguish of that moment. We have a truly beautiful relationship now, but it was a difficult time for her. In the end, love does and did prevail.
Nolan Burris
Author and Visioneer

I finished A Complicated Love a couple of weeks ago while on an airplane. There were several times while reading the book that I put my head on my husband's shoulder and wept. I couldn’t even explain to him why I was crying. I think I was just so touched by the openness, the pain both the author and Jared expressed, and the “complexities” of truly loving another human being. 
Wendy Ludovici Twycross
Empowering Lives International 

I found A Complicated Love to be compelling reading combined with the need to stop and reflect about my own life and important relationships. Although the obvious and primary story is about a straight father’s growth, insights and personal transformation in relation to a gay son, it revealed deeper and general issues for me that actually affect us all as humans. Some of these are how we father and have been fathered, our prejudices and how we view and relate to others. It taught and challenged me about how I need to relate and connect on a deeper level. In a sense, it is not ultimately important whether we are straight or gay, but what kind of person I am and how I relate to myself and others. As real and important as our sexuality is, it is sad that so many (particularly “religious” people) seem to define people in terms of their sexuality and not a fuller view of who they are.
A Complicated Love is courageously and sensitively written with great insight.
Peter Twycross
Director
SentinelSafaris.com

I read the book cover to cover in one weekend - could not put it down. It was a real gift and a story of transformation in the true sense, that had me in tears by the time I read that last e-mail from Jared. Sexuality aside, it teaches one so much about the relationships that we create with our kids, gay or straight.
When one considers how many parents have gay children, and how so many of them struggle to show up as a "normal" parent in this situation, the potential of this book becomes apparent, because I have no doubt that each and every one of them will not be sorry for reading it.
Russel Horwitz
Principal
Kwela Leadership & Talent Management

Dene Rossouw’s ‘A Complicated Love’ tells the story of a father willing to transform his relationship with his son. The life crisis of his son Jared’s coming out as a gay man is the catalyst, but the story delves deeper into their relationship. The author bravely exposes his past, his belief systems, and his personal growth. Though his quest for a ‘cause’ for his son’s sexual orientation is frustrating at times, it is the reality for many parents who want to know if they were a contributing factor, at the same time wanting only the best and smoothest journey in the world for their children.
‘A Complicated Love’ is an important acknowledgement of this struggle. The author and his son ultimately experience the reward of a more significant and meaningful connection that can happen when parents reach out to understand and accept their children’s sexual orientation. The landscapes of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton are a fitting backdrop to the raw emotions that both the author and his son share.
Marie Carlson
Certified Rehab Nurse