Find out the best coming-of-age novels, such as “Catcher in the Rye” & “The Outsiders,” from Michael J. Tucker, writer of romance thriller ”Aquarius Falling” on Wattpad!
My novel, Aquarius Falling, has been labelled in editorial reviews as a “dark coming of age novel”. When Tom Delaney loses his scholarship he goes to Ocean City hoping to earn enough money to pay for his final year. Instead he gets caught up in a world he never imagined, one of beautiful women, prostitution, drugs and the ugliness of racism.
Aquarius Falling has been favorably compared to J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. But what exactly is a “coming of age novel”? Well, it can be described as a story of transitioning into adulthood but that is a somewhat simplistic definition. Typically it involves a story where the main character is in his or her youth, early teens to early twenties, and is confronted with a challenge in which he or she learns important life lessons and emerges a changed person, more mature with wisdom gained from the experience.
Few people would consider Don Winslow’s The Kings of Cool, a story focused on drugs, sex and violence, a coming of age novel. This is a prequel to Savages, Winslow’s acclaimed novel that was made into a motion picture by Oliver Stone. I’ve included it because it tells the story of Ben, Chon, and O in their youth and their dysfunctional family relationships involving mothers, fathers, friends and lovers. This fictional trio is the way they are in Savages because of what happened to them in The Kings of Cool.
Michael Chabon’s first novel tells the story of the naïve son of a Mafia boss and his first summer after graduating from college. The protagonist, Art Bechstein, battles with sexual ambiguity, lusting for his sexually available girlfriend, Phlox, and equally curious about his male friend and wannabe gangster, Cleveland. The novel was made into a film by the same name in 2008 and stars, Jon Foster, Sienna Miller, Peter Sarsgaard, Mena Suvari and Nick Nolte.
While I’m on the subject of sexual confusion and identity, it doesn’t get any more complex than Jeffrey Eugenides’ Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Middlesex. The protagonist, called Callie and later Cal, is a hermaphrodite. At age fourteen she has her first sexual experiences, first with a girl and later with the girl’s brother.
Looking for Alaska by John Green, features protagonist Miles “Pudge” Halter, a character often compared to Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye. His love interest is the beautiful but self-destructive Alaska Young. As the title implies, Pudge spends a lot of time looking for Alaska.
Author, S. E. Hinton, was sixteen years old and a junior in high school when she completed this novel. The story is the classic tale of a high school’s rich click versus the poor click. In 1988 it was made into a movie that launched the careers of C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Tom Cruise.
This classic by William Golding is the story of well-educated children marooned in paradise and left to govern themselves. The results are less than desirable.
No “coming of age novel” list can be complete without the previously mentioned, Holden Caulfield. He is the poster-boy for the genre. Loving or hating this story will depend on your age. It is an ideal read for addressing adolescent angst.
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Misty Vail, the exotic astrologer, wants Tom Delaney’s soul. Wendy Morrison, the All-American surfer girl, wants his heart. Who has the power, lust or love, as the battle plays out at a summer beach resort? “Aquarius Falling” is a story of opportunity, love, and decision.