Too Cool

by Duff Brenna

"An unfaltering, unflinching, piercing look into a tormented, youthful heart."-- The New York Times

In the dead of winter, in the midst of a blizzard, Elbert Earl Evans--known as Triple E--has escaped from a Colorado reform school in a stolen Oldsmobile with his girlfriend, Jeanne, his cousin, and a friend. After outrunning the police, Triple E and Jeanne find themselves alone and stranded in a stalled car. Eventually, to have any hope of survival, Triple E sets out on a desperate search for help.

As he struggles through the brutal cold, Triple E reflects on his past and discovers the humanity that lies beneath his violent his love for Jeanne, the pain of his father's admission that "you're not the son I wanted," and his sense of alienation from family and friends. Readers will be riveted by Triple E's battle to save Jeanne's life, and his own, as well as his internal struggle to conquer his violent impulses. Written with unsparing and evocative prose, Too Cool is an edgy, coming-of-age story with all the earmarks of a modern classic.

Genres: Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published July 13, 1998

About the author

DUFF BRENNA is the author of nine books, including The Book of Mamie, which won the AWP Award for Best Novel; The Holy Book of the Beard, named “an underground classic” by The New York Times; Too Cool, a New York Times Noteworthy Book; The Altar of the Body, given the Editors Prize Favorite Book of the Year Award, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and also received a San Diego Writers Association Award for Best Novel 2002. He is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts award, Milwaukee Magazine’s Best Short Story of the Year Award, and a Pushcart Prize Honorable Mention. His book Minnesota Memoirs was awarded Best Short Story Collection at the 2013 Next Generation Indie Awards in New York City. His memoir, Murdering the Mom, was a Finalist for Best Non-Fiction at the same Independent Publishers Awards.His work has been translated into six languages.

Reviews

[Duff Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Finely modulated both in style and moral tone . . . provokes a hard-won sort of compassion at the end. What especially characterizes Too Cool is the honed intelligence of a skilled writer who has brilliantly evoked the airtight impenetrable inner logic of youth determined at all cost to find its own way.” —New York Times

“In Too Cool, Duff Brenna displays a spectacular talent for crafting complex, believable characters.” —Wall Street Journal

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Triple T is vivid, fast-moving and masterfully written. I admired Brenna's style and his deft handling of time shifts. Brilliant!

[Stijn]

Schoolopdracht - 3e middelbaar.

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting fast reader

[Tara Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different, Enjoyable, Nice Ending, Easy-read.. looking for something simple but moving; go for "Too Cool" I thoroughly enjoyed it