In the late winter of 2001, seventeen-year-old Greg Cayea was on the run after just escaping from Hidden Lake Academy: the most infamous therapeutic boarding school in America. Debauchery tells the story of how he survived on his own, and the tale of how he and his girlfriend dodged the law, hopped Greyhound buses and drove across many state lines in search of the perfect hideout. It starts on I-95 as they drive furiously to Florida, but there’s no easy way to make money or find shelter, and so starts a chain reaction of ludicrous events to keep them afloat, from shady street hustles to criminal enterprises to risky relationships… Anything to keep their identities incognito.
But things take a dramatic turn when Greg’s addictive aspirations to attain international fame completely overhaul his life. His obsession for stardom compromises everything he has and takes him on a wild ride to New York filled with rancid romance, drugged-out flophouses, theatrical benders, small-town jails, and corrupt judicial systems desperate to lock him up. And just as his new life seems to takes form, a completely new set of challenges emerge and he must make a dangerous decision that’ll last forever. There’s never a dull moment along the adventure and enough absurdity for a lifetime. One thing is for sure: the humorous narration and delusional ambitions of the author make all the chaos worthwhile. The question is, will he come of age safely, or wind up in prison?
