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The Pursuit of Cool
Paperback
General FictionLiterary Fiction
Publisher Price: $21.99
ISBN13: 9780985037956
Publisher: Tmik Press
Published: May 13 2026
Pages: 418
Weight: 0.91
Height: 0.93 Width: 5.00 Depth: 8.00
Language: English
The Pursuit of Cool is an entertaining novel that engages both the heart and mind, while it deep dives into the 1980s. Lance Rally comes from a family of high-achievers and is determined to follow in their footsteps and become a success. But beneath his facade of ambition lies an inept and hopeless romantic, obsessed with pop culture and easily distracted. As he navigates his college years, unexpected friendships with a punk rocker and a subversive scholar challenge his beliefs, while relationships with a beautiful psychology major and a feisty goth girl change him in ways he never expected.
Lance's journey in The Pursuit of Cool is captured in strong, beautiful prose and fully-realized characters-the roller coaster of college-age emotions, the laughter, the wild yearning, the angst, the agonizing heartbreak. Lance's story is a relatable ride through album covers, dance techniques, all-nighter revelations and corporate internships gone bad. The music and movies of the 80s provide solace as he questions his beliefs and experiences the blows of the world. Lance Rally's rich interior life is exposed in this uniquely honest vision of male vulnerability.
As Lance tries to capture the elusive essence of cool, readers will be captivated by his journey and the powerful emotions it evokes. If you enjoy books like J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye or Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, or the social realism of Tom Wolfe, you'll love The Pursuit of Cool. The story of Lance Rally is a smart take on an era and a generation.
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