The Arcade

by Benjamin Earl Johnson

Brimming with a mixture of excitement and anxiety, two longtime friends approach the threshold of childhood. There, a full view of the wide-open world beckons. This temporary wonder is met with the chilly breeze of reality, however, as different family circumstances present each with a different vision of adulthood. Further movement requires both to find honesty in themselves and each other. High school ends, leaving the two to spend their last true carefree summer working at the local arcade, where love and bitterness intertwine beneath the fleeting murmurs of youthful innocence.

282 pages, Paperback

Published October 8, 2019