Pushing on a String

It's 1987 and Bruce's biggest challenge is self-confidence.

A college senior, he's clueless about a career, tired of his father's rules for living, and bewildered when his crush, the girl next door, asks him out. Amy is sharp, funny, and perfect for Bruce, but her interest in him has exposed his deepest fear, leaving him paralyzed.

With graduation looming, he decides to spend summer in the party town of Ocean City, Maryland—his last hurrah before forty years of brown-paper-bag lunches at his cubicle. He's lined up an easy summer job and his A-list roommate is going to introduce him to everyone at the beach. Bruce is finally excited about something. The problem? He's not grounded at the beach and Amy's a million miles away.

He soon learns that the beach isn't all he hoped it would be. Stuck in bars every night, he can't hang and the harder he tries to make friends, the more he feels like an outsider. Refusing to change his quirkiness to fit in, he copes with his rejection by drinking. This gets out of control, jeopardizing his father's support and his relationship with Amy. After several alcohol-fueled spectacles push him over the edge, Bruce might lose everything—including the people he cares for the most.

His downward spiral is both hilarious and gut-wrenching. Bruce sees a future that scares him—but is it too late for his father to unwash his hands of him and for Bruce to start a serious relationship with Amy?

Fans of The Silver Linings Playbook and Adventureland will delight in this funny, coming-of-age novel.