The Dropout: Don't Fall for Paul. He'll Drive You to the Edge

by David Gee

The Dropout offers a sly, edgy new twist on themes from The Graduate and American Pie and is a 21st-century 'coming-of-age' drama. 19-year-old Paul Barrett is having a tough time at university. His American girlfriend Meredith is a Silver Ring virgin who won't put out. Their best friend Neil has a worrying crush on Paul. When Meredith dumps Paul and Neil commits suicide, Paul drops out of uni and retreats to the south-coast hometown he calls 'Boredom-on-Sea', where he goes to work for his uncle Jack, selling furniture to continental buyers. Two more women enter his life: Jenny, his uncle's foxy stepdaughter; and Christine, Jack's gold-digging mistress, the office receptionist. And Paul attracts another gay admirer. His life is heading to the brink - and taking other lives with him. Paul's is the young voice of today - always hoping to get laid, it takes him a while to realise that what he's really looking for is love.

312 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Originally earmarked for the Methodist Mission Field, I soon discovered that ‘the missionary position’ didn’t suit me. A post-university career in telecommunications took me to the Middle East where I moonlighted as a journalist and socialized heavily with the ‘natives’ and with stewardesses from one of the local airlines, which came in handy when I started writing SHAIKH-DOWN.

I now live a few miles outside Brighton in southeast England.

In 2022 I re-adopted DAVID GODOLPHIN as my pen-name, the name I used for journalism in Qatar in the 1980s. David Godolphin's SOAP-STUD & BLUE-MOVIE GIRL is on Goodreads and Amazon

Reviews

[Jacqueline King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would not have chosen this book for myself, based on the cover blurb. But my husband brought it home from the library for me, so I had to give it a go. After the first couple of sentences I was hooked and couldn't put it down until I had finished it. Which is a tribute to the amazing writing of David Gee ~ the protagonist is a nineteen year old male, who drops out of uni after his gay friend commits suicide and his American 'born again virgin' girlfriend returns to the States, at the end of her sabbatical year. He is given a job as a furniture salesman in his uncle's company, which ought to make it a boring story but somehow it's not. The first part is told from the young man's point of view, followed by chapters in which events are retold from the viewpoint of other characters. A surprisingly different and absorbing novel, I shall look for other David Gee novels!

[Nico Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a very relatable story,,, Gets more and more enjoyable all the way to the end! I really loved it!