This thought-provoking, hilarious, eloquent (Kirkus Reviews) debut
novel by a remarkable new talent explores the relationship between
identity and place, marvels at the speed at which a well-planned life
can change forever, and asks the question,
How can a total stranger understand you better than the people you've
known your entire life?
When Lance's '93 Buick breaks down in the middle of nowhere, he tells
himself Don't panic. After all, he's valedictorian of his class.
First-chair trumpet player. Scholarship winner. Nothing can stop Lance
Hendricks. But the locals don't know that. They don't even know his
name. Stuck in a small town, Lance could be anyone: a delinquent, a
traveler, a maniac. One of the townies calls him Wildman, and a new
world opens up.
He's ordering drinks at a roadhouse. Jumping a train. Talking to an
intriguing older girl who is asking about his future. And what he really
wants. As one day blurs into the next, Lance finds himself drifting
farther from home and closer to a girl who makes him feel a way he's
never felt before-like himself.