about the book
Billy Kinsey—son to money-obsessed, fortune-winning parents. Billy Kinsey—genius. Billy Kinsey—philosopher and social critic. Billy Kinsey—insomniac. Billy Kinsey—closeted drummer.
Billy Kinsey…lost his twin sister six years ago.
Seventeen-year-old Billy Kinsey has a very specific way of dealing with the world he is so critical of: Don’t participate. Say no. Stay out of it.
But it’s not always that easy. He couldn’t just stay out of it when Dorie died. He can’t really get away when his parents continuously fight one another. And it’s hard to avoid when his guidance counselor repeatedly hounds him on applying to college.
It all changes, though, when Twom Twomey and Gretchen Quinn enter his life. Twom is a fun-loving rebel, and with his computer techie friend and girlfriend, the four spend time breaking into local mansions to act out fantasies. Gretchen is a long-time and loyal friend of Dorie’s. She wants Billy to go in the opposite direction and encourages him to transform the world with “creative acts of the soul.”
So here are two sides of Billy’s coin: the dark side and the side of possibilities. Billy knows which side leads where. He knows what will guide him towards disaster, and which will take him to happiness. The problem is that Billy doesn’t trust happiness.
about the author
Writer-director Stephen Metcalfe is an Associate Artist at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, and has taught dramatic writing at the University of California in San Diego, the University of San Diego, and San Diego State University. He has written plays such as Loves & Hours, Vikings, and Strange Snow, which have been produced in New York, regional theaters, and throughout Europe and Japan. He’s also credited for screenplays including Jacknife with Robert De Niro and Ed Harris.
Though Stephen is primarily a dramatic writers (from screen, to television, to stage), The Tragic Age is his first novel.
Stephen grew up in Cheshire, Connecticut and currently resides in San Diego.
Source:
Author website
Author biography: Wikipedia
Also by Stephen Metcalfe:
The Practical Navigator. St. Martin’s Press. August 2016.
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