At the tail end of a lackluster high school career, Calvin McShane is stumbling toward college with more questions than confidence. He’s a competent athlete, but rarely the star. He has friends, but often feels out of place. His family isn’t broken, but it’s far from the glossy picture of 90s domestic bliss. And his romantic life? A French kiss with Anna didn’t satisfy. Jessica never panned out. Dani is great as a friend, but only when he needs her. And Ilse, the one willing to play girlfriend, isn’t impressed with his choices. Hopefully, his time at the University of Chapelle Dorée will allow Calvin to find his groove. Besides women, music is his only true passion, and UCD seems like the place to prove himself. But college doesn’t automatically fix Calvin. The misses still outweigh the hits, and respect as a musician or a lover is only gained by putting in effort. Back home, his father’s lottery win has turned into an attempt at becoming a music mogul, though not necessarily for Calvin’s benefit. Calvin’s childhood home now feels like a place he no longer belongs. And nobody back home or at school appreciates his particular brand of musical genius. Whatever he wants, whatever he expects from life, he’d better figure it out fast because his future isn’t waiting for him to catch up.
A throwback to the days of VHS cameras and Bel Biv DeVoe videos, Becoming Calvin is a jaunty, moment-in-time story that plays out like a staticky radio station live request hour. It is unpredictable, and you might miss a few beats, but the rough edges are what make it feel authentic. Calvin isn’t a hero, and he isn’t really even a character who is easy to warm up to. Yet each misstep and immature decision reminds readers of adolescence, when hormones and curiosity often drown out common sense. A first volume in the larger story, The Wake of Expectations, this raw novel touches on significant topics, including grief, unwanted pregnancy, and the desperate search for self. Off-color humor isn’t for all tastes, but it cuts through heavy themes. Whether it’s Grandpa’s White Castle–powered gas or Calvin’s repeated sexual humiliations, the effect is impossible to ignore. Readers need not worry about the deliberately unfinished ending, as the remaining emotional tension is entirely on par with Calvin’s constant inner conflicts. Commercial fiction tends to favor admirable heroes, but Becoming Calvin resists convention, offering a challenging protagonist who is painfully, if not embarrassingly, familiar.
