The Tragic Age by Stephen Metcalfe

The Tragic Age by Stephen Metcalfe

Published by St. Martin's Griffin 

Today's feature is the paperback release of a YA novel titled The Tragic Age by author Stephen Metcalfe. The author brings to life a world where wealth and loss affect a family in a multitude of ways, and what it means to break free from the chains that bind you. It is a powerful message not only for teens, but for adults as well. Sometimes, we find, the difference between order and utter chaos is a messy line and is not as simple as it seems. One often thinks the solution to a chaotic world is to stay completely removed from it, but we all know that avoiding life is more complicated, especially when the life you have on the inside is more chaotic than life on the outside. Being a teenager is a challenge, it is, after all, "the tragic age." 

Synopsis 

This is the story of Billy Kinsey, heir to a lottery fortune, part genius, part philosopher and social critic, full time insomniac and closeted rock drummer. Billy has decided that the best way to deal with an absurd world is to stay away from it. Do not volunteer. Do not join in. Billy will be the first to tell you it doesn't always work- not when your twin sister, Dorie, has died, not when your unhappy parents are at war with one another, not when frazzled soccer moms in two ton SUVs are more dangerous than atom bombs, and not when your guidance counselor keeps asking why you haven't applied to college.
Billy's life changes when two people enter his life. Twom Twomey is a charismatic renegade who believes that truly living means going a little outlaw. Twom and Billy become one another's mutual benefactor and friend. At the same time, Billy is reintroduced to Gretchen Quinn, an old and adored friend of Dorie's. It is Gretchen who suggests to Billy that the world can be transformed by creative acts of the soul.
With Twom, Billy visits the dark side. And with Gretchen, Billy experiences possibilities.
Billy knows that one path is leading him toward disaster and the other toward happiness. The problem is-Billy doesn't trust happiness. It's the age he's at. The tragic age.

Stephen Metcalfe's brilliant, debut coming-of-age novel, The Tragic Age, will teach you to learn to love, trust and truly be alive in an absurd world.

About the Author

Stephen Metcalfe wrote the production drafts for Pretty Woman, Dangerous Minds and Mr. Holland's Opus, among others. His stage plays have been produced in New York and theaters around the U.S., Europe and Japan. He is an Associate Artist at the Globe Theater in San Diego, University of San Diego, and San Diego State University.