On the Beach by Steve Schmale


Everyone should read this. We are truly oblivious to how things would be if we were to be in the situation of Lenny, the lead character. I tell my customers that they should read this book all the time.

Twenty-something Lenny Decker is a man of few plans, and he seems to like it that way. Bumming around a sleepy California beach town, Lenny appears to live a life of Zen-like slacker simplicity. His days and nights are a seemingly endless loop of visits to the local bar and pick-up basketball games, punctuated by long stretches in his apartment with only a twelve pack, a bong, and a TV of questionable quality for company.

But Lenny has a thing or two to deal with: a near brush with success in his past has left him running for the comfort of a life where the stakes aren't just low, they're non-existent. Then there's the woman who sees past Lenny's stoned exterior and is challenging him in ways he hasn't been tested in years.