Reviewstack: Slanted and Disenchanted, by Lisa Czarina Michaud

A rock 'n' roll road trip across America and into the new millennium

Slanted and Disenchanted by Lisa Czarina Michaud is both a time capsule and timeless. Set at the turn of this century, we meet Carla and Pete at the end of high school, burning to escape the rigid structure of school and the oppressive presence of their parents, terrified and mystified by the questions they'll be forced to answer in the transition into adulthood.

But at least they've got music. And each other.

Actually, that's complicated too…

The ups and downs, told in chapters volleying effortlessly between their points of view, had me hanging on every page.

Michaud nails the exaggerated emotions of that post-high-school age, when differences in music taste feel irreconcilable, while the stakes of every decision blast real and far-reaching ripples into our adult futures.

As if this weren't enough for Carla and Pete to grapple with, their story pulls us back into the dawn of the new millennium, when America felt its own confidence shaken by silly Y2K fears and real fears of terrorist attacks and misdirected declarations of war.

Slanted and Disenchanted is a coming-of-age road trip romance, a nostalgia trip for anyone who remembers when the last century’s odometer rolled all four digits into this one, and it’s chock-full of music nerd banter and in-references.

This is the first installment of a trilogy, the second book of which—Somewhere in Hollywood—came out earlier this year. I'm excited to see how Carla and Pete's adventures continue!

Follow Lisa Czarina Michaud here on Substack!