Don't Say Charm is a bildungsroman set in the city of Baltimore in the
early 2000s. It chronicles the adventures of Caffer, a student at Johns
Hopkins University, and his girlfriend Emily, as they navigate a web of
parties, friends, and relationships, eventually leading to Caffer's
self-imposed exile in Mexico during a period of political tumult, and a
tragic ending that pulls him back to his home state of New York. The
time capsule-like narrative weaves in various depictions and
descriptions of early millennial life in the United States.