Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Ah, to be young in America -- nothing matters and everything matters. And yet through the pervasive nihilism and irony, Blake Middleton finds a truth radiating with terrifying love and a radical self-acceptance. "I looked at myself in the mirror just now," he writes. "I just thought, this is what I am. Whatever I am. And that's okay."
--Andrew James Weatherhead, author of Todd
"Takes you back to that not-so-long-ago time when the world was only threatening to go to Hell."
--Ben Loory, author of Tales of Falling and Flying
College Novel uses clear language to describe unclear times. It's a spare examination of our relationships with popular culture and with each other.
--Timothy Willis Sanders, author of Matt Meets Vik
Set in the years 2015-2016 in the United States of America, College Novel is a novel about a young man during his final year of college. It's a book about friendship. And fortified wine. And so much more. For example, it's also about love. True love. And crack-cocaine. It's the first Great Millennial Novel. It's the quintessential novel of the Fucked Generation. Which means, yes, it's a timely and important work of fiction. A Tour-de-force, motherfuckers. It's a funny, understated, dialogue-heavy book, full of wisdom and friendship and love and crack-cocaine. It's like Less Than Zero meets Chilly Scenes of Winter. There are cultural references. Most of the characters are depressed and drink beer. And just like in real life most of the time, there isn't much of a plot, but some things happen. One character grows out a rat-tail and drives around America in a Honda Accord. Another character has an existential crisis in the beer aisle of Walmart. And the main character, Jordan, falls in love with his roommate's ex-girlfriend and worries that his roommate might shoot him in the head. He learns some stuff about life, and gradually develops as a human being, thanks to friendship, love, and the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre. College Novel is a spicy meatball of a novel. It's got a real kick to it.