In the year 2002, four twenty-something-year-olds attempt to navigate their surroundings in New York City while getting drawn into a culture of drugs, glamor, and violence.
At the same time, an old bookstore clerk struggles to overcome grief, until...
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Word of the notorious high-speed chase travels throughout New York City as Holden's colleagues walk around their polished desks, gossipping about the news as if they had just seen an action movie.
"Did you hear the part when he took that old woman hostage?" a coworker asked his friend.
His friend's lopsided head slowly nods. "Yeah, that was fucking scary."
"I saw the whole thing myself. Yesterday, I was at a conference when..."
Exciting stories turn into thick sand as Holden tunes out his companions and retreats to his small desk.
While listening to Led Zeppelin on his iPod, Holden stares at his Apple laptop. The demolished screen reveals notes regarding the release date of Thomas Wakeman's novel, 13 Summers Ago. Many readers claim the book paints an authentic portrait of romance in the early 1970s. It has a rousing plot, memorable characters, and a complex ending.
Initially, Holden wanted to read it. He went to Barnes & Noble, bought the book with his credit card, and flip through it in his college dorm room. But once he scanned through the third chapter, Holden believed it was the worst book he had ever read.
The protagonist Becky Sanders is a whiny teenager who shows little respect for her friends and dying mother. She has no hobbies or personality. All she cares about is graduating high school she can act like an adult. In the first chapter, Becky describes herself as an "awkward mess" and yet she attracts the attention of boys.
She crushes hard on a nineteen-year-old bad boy, while actively ignoring her compassionate best friend Miles Lincoln. Not to mention the dialogue felt forced. Staring at the screen, Holden saves his notes and shuts off his laptop. After he finishes his email to Albert, Holden will throw away the book before his kleptomaniac roommate sees it.
Phones jerk their receivers, as new writers demand to talk to their literary agents. Clacking keyboards and condescending voices did nothing to calm Holden's mind. Ancient music fades like a sun descending under the skyscrapers. He massages the intense pain on his forehead until Holden sees Thomas Wakeman walking towards Mrs. Grenwood's office.
His gluttonous body makes his striped shirt look small. Long creases ruin his pair of light brown khaki pants, while crumpled leaves sprinkle his penny loafers. How his book became a national bestseller is beyond Holden. Despite this, Holden made sure his manuscript is ready so it would land in the New York Times Book List.
Lately, the company has been going slow. Although Simon & Schuster heralded bestselling memoirs, novels, and recipes, the literary community often got bored with reading the same material. So until the staff answers their clients' calls, Mrs. Grenwood cut their bonuses in half.
After Holden hands in Albert's draft to his boss, he sent a voicemail to Jaime Hearst about her short story and decides to take a break. So, at around 12:45 p.m., he stuffs his iPod in his bag, approaches his boss's door, and gives it a knock.
