Golden States

Golden States" introduces readers to David Stark, an acutely sensitive adolescent navigating the tumultuous emotional landscape of his family in 1970s Southern California. His home is a crucible of quiet desperation, where his alcoholic mother and four sisters—each teetering on the brink of emotional or physical collapse—create an environment that both defines and confines him. When his free-spirited older sister, Laurel, vanishes to San Francisco, David, driven by a profound sense of duty and an unspoken yearning for self-discovery, embarks on a hitchhiking odyssey north. His journey becomes a powerful rite of passage, as he encounters a kaleidoscopic array of strangers and experiences that strip away his youthful innocence, forcing him to confront the often-brutal realities of love, loss, and the elusive nature of belonging. Cunningham's early novel masterfully weaves a narrative of family dysfunction and the painful, yet exhilarating, transition into adulthood, all set against the vibrant, shifting backdrop of a truly 'golden' but ultimately complex American landscape.