Slanted and Disenchanted
She blew off college and started a band with that stoner kid. He ditched his girlfriend to go on tour with that girl with the bangs. On the open road, can they start over, or will their secrets eventually catch up with them?
It's 2001 when boybands and thongs have assaulted pop culture, two college dropouts wander aimlessly through their suburban existence. When Carla runs into Pete, the aloof French kid in town, they decide to form a garage band. In the basement. Bored by the backup dancers of the new millennium, the two form a secret connection that goes deeper than the music. Before heading out on their greasy dive bar cross-country tour, tragedy turns the world upside down forcing them to face adulthood and decide if the band is just a teenage dream or a gateway to freedom....and to each other?
Slanted and Disenchanted is the debut novel by Lisa Czarina Michaud. Told with he said/she said conversational wit with quirky '90s and early-aughts pop culture references and rock snob winks, it's High Fidelity meets Normal People that explores sexual tension in friendships, the confusion of adulting, questioning family...and the soundtracks that get us through it all.
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"Captures the sparkling highs and epic lows of young adulthood."
Michelle Leon, Babes in Toyland and author of I Live Inside
"Smart and funny...coming-of-age for the High Fidelity set...a journey through youth, second loves, and the power of connection through art."
Brett Sills, author of Shoveling Snow
"Slanted and Disenchanted crackles with the heart-pounding, meaning-seeking, garage rock energy of two young musicians. Carla and Pete are incredibly well-drawn, and their obsessive love of music is so palpable and real that you will hear every song and feel you're right there on stage with them, rooting for them to fall headlong into the great unknown. Michaud offers us a front-row ticket to an inspired, complex, and incredibly poignant live show. If you love a great story as much as I do, you won't be able to look away from the stage or to put this book down, until you reach the final song."
Jason Allen, author of The East End
"The most musically infused story I've ever had the pleasure of devouring."
Corny O'Connell, WFUV Fordham University On-Air Host
"Slanted and Disenchanted conjures up the wistful daydreams and perpetual uncertainty that inspires young people to climb onto dingy stages in dive bars to make a joyful racket hoping for acceptance, respect, love, and just maybe enough gas money to make it to the next show."
Chris Appelgren, The PeeChees and owner, Lookout! Records
"Slanted and Disenchanted perfectly captures the way almost every young adult has ever felt: out of place, misunderstood, and desperate to find a home in someone else... Michaud infuses her branded humor into this nostalgic tale of young love, treating us to 90's references that Gen X'ers will appreciate, and those who "had to be there" will wish they had been a part of. This coming-of-age story is packed with passion, music, and a kind of hope that reminds you it's never too late to be who you truly want to be."
Cara Alwill, author of Girl On Fire and host of Style Your Mind podcast
