A raw, hilarious, and heartfelt coming-of-age novel set in the analog haze of the 1990s.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Readers who enjoy the introspective storytelling of authors like J.D. Salinger or the emotional depth found in works by John Green or Khaled Hosseini will appreciate Becoming Calvin. It’s truly an excellent and entertaining read.”

— Carol Thompson, Readers’ Favorite

Before life narrowed its options, before compromise and regret had names, there were big dreams and bad ideas. And it wasn’t always easy to tell them apart.

But it’s funny as hell to watch Calvin try.

Becoming Calvin: The Wake of Expectations Volume 1 is the beginning of a coming-of-age story about friendship, ambition, and the quiet assumptions we make about who we’re going to be. It’s a story set in that brief window when the future still feels negotiable—when everything seems possible, even if nothing is certain.

This is where the story starts.

Curious how the story unfolds?

Watch the Wake Trilogy trailer below:

The Wake of Expectations, winner of the 2025 Maxy Awards Book of the Year, tells a single, concentrated coming-of-age story.

It’s also a substantial book—and many readers prefer to experience a story like this in stages.

The Wake Trilogy presents that story in three volumes: Becoming Calvin, Growing Pains, and The Age of Unbecoming, each capturing a distinct phase of becoming, reckoning, and unbecoming.

You can decide how much of the story you want, and how you want to experience it.

If you grew up learning how the world worked from movies, music, and the friends who survived it with you, this story will feel familiar.

And if you didn’t—if you’re a little younger—you may still recognize something in it. The feeling of thinking you had it figured out, right before life showed you otherwise.