A dying man bequeaths his diaries to the woman who was his teacher twenty-five years earlier.

Click on image to read the letter.

Dear Elizabeth,

You must be wondering why I left you my diaries in my will. After all, we have not seen each other in over twenty years. Our only contact is our traditional Christmas cards, and yet I still feel connected to you . . .

Vincent.

Only when she receives these 3,500 pages of his life willed to her does Elizabeth realize the profound impression she made on him decades before. Vincent's final request is that Elizabeth create a book about his life. As Elizabeth begins to grapple with this task, Vincent soon becomes a constant presence in her household. His diaries accompany her everywhere as she becomes immersed in learning about the man Vincent had become. He takes her through his daily life in San Francisco and his travels abroad. She watches him deal with the deaths of friends in the gay community. She judges Vincent and she gets angry with him for some of the choices he makes. But also her affection and compassion for him grows.

Well before she closes the last chapter on Vincent's life, something happens to Elizabeth. Vincent forces her to examine her life as well as his. Her own issues and fears about death come to the forefront as she accompanies Vincent on his final journey. And even though Vincent has died, he reaches out to Elizabeth, giving her a new perspective on herself and those close to her.

Powerful and inspiring, A BOY I ONCE KNEW is a revealing book about loss, memory, and the ways we unexpectedly affect each other's lives.