Teenagers can be assholes sometimes. It’s not always their fault, there’s some serious hormonal things happening at that age. This may not be the greatest insight, but it's worth mentioning only because of the starring role teenagers play in present day pop culture. Behind all the vampires, zombies, Justin Biebers, Taylor Swifts, blockbusters and iEverythings is an unchecked fetishism of teendom by adults who should know better. It’s no coincidence that teen fiction is the highest selling genre of the moment.

Enter stage right, fishbowled—a reality-based take on teenagers, drugs, technology, the importance of family and the sobering failures that pepper one’s twenties.

Tom is a twenty-seven year old second generation Greek, who works in his family's restaurant down the street from the high school he once attended. Mel is a sixteen-year-old high school drop out, who spends most of her days loitering and smoking weed. One-hundred-thirteen-seconds is all it takes to change both of their lives forever.

Fishbowled is the first novel from Toronto-based Vakis Boutsalis, who some say is on the inside track for a Nobel prize in literature, and was recently spotted rescuing an entire school bus of kindergarteners from perilous danger. Download for your kindle or kobo today!