Coming-of-age in the 1970s is wildly fun and equally fraught.
In this stand-alone novel, Bryan revisits the group of suburban California teens he introduced in Ventura and Zelzah (2022) a few years further along their journeys to adulthood. High school senior Douglas Efron narrates in an energetic first-person voice. The car accident that killed Weddy, one member of his friend group, still hurts, but Marco, Weddy’s cousin who attends high school with them, bring reminiscences of him and his love of fast cars. The novel’s busy plot, which follows the young men through their senior year, doesn’t so much surprise with twists as comfort with relatable elements: There’s Douglas’ gig with the school newspaper, the Woodrow Wilson Wire; his awkwardness around first love Natalia even as he finds a more serious and complicated relationship with classmate Annie; and multiple minor capers. These adolescent adventures include a ragtag football game called the Turkey Bowl, desperate attempts to secure fake IDs to see an X-rated movie, and experimentation with drugs and alcohol. Bryan writes with enthusiasm and economy in a voice appropriate to his teen protagonist and packs the story with colorful minor characters on the fringes of the action, like Kenny the Killer, Annie’s ex-boyfriend, and Ms. Pearlstein, faculty adviser for the school paper. An abundance of pop-culture references could also attract adult readers wanting a trip down Memory Lane.
Breezy adolescent escapades in the Me Decade. (Fiction. 15-adult)
—Kirkus Reviews
“Ventura and Winnetka is a dead-on evocation of what it was like to grow up in the Valley in the ’70s. The stereo store scene, when the sales guy finally gets to the good speakers, had me laughing out loud. J.G. Bryan gets it right.”
—Lou Mathews, Pushcart Prize-winning author of L.A. Breakdown and Shaky Town
“A rollicking coming-of-age novel . . . . lively, profane, ribald, touching, hilarious, and ultimately uplifting.”
—Historical Novel Society
“It doesn’t matter that I grew up on the East Coast in the mid-to-late 1970s. What J.G. Bryan captures so faithfully in terms of dialogue and social environments clearly illustrates that no matter where you came of age, 1970’s culture was as shared and communal as a bottle of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Wine being passed around at a Dave Mason concert.
Douglas, the protagonist, and his motley crew of West Coast pals trip and cavort through cars, stereo shops, sex, record stores, and senior year with a desperate search for truth and meaning. With real life beginning to loom, the stakes grow higher as the ground begins to shift underneath them. Punk rock culture begins rearing its head as the “Me” decade approaches its close and Bryan manages to create a viscerally vivid universe that calls to mind American Graffiti, Dazed and Confused, and other great cinematic rite-of-passage films.
The dialogue crackles with all of the warmth and authenticity of a record needle searching for that first groove at the head of the album. As the characters begin to come to grips with things like sickness and catastrophic car injuries, it’s as if we get to experience their growth in real-time. I felt like I was riding with these guys, sharing the same laughs and obsessing over the same girls and music.
All that said, it doesn’t really matter what decade you grew up in. Ventura and Winnetka captures the essence of adolescence and teenage struggles, the drama, the camaraderie, and all of the fragile emotions that will always push this age group to the edge.”
—Chris Epting, co-author of Dave Mason’s memoir Only You Know and I Know and author of It Happened Right Here: America’s Pop Culture Landmarks
“Throughout the novel, Douglas’ growth as a teen is depicted in great detail. From experimenting with drugs and alcohol to finding his passion in writing and sales, the journey of his development is both captivating and enlightening. J.G. Bryan skillfully captures the dynamics of family, with Douglas’ mother playing a crucial role in supporting him through his trials and helping him overcome challenges. This portrayal of strong familial bonds adds a heartwarming touch to the narrative. . . . . I recommend this book to young adult readers who appreciate romance and stories of high school life, as it offers a thrilling glimpse into the past while remaining relevant to the present.”
—YA Dude Books
“Ventura and Winnetka is a funny, poignant look at the relationships of teenagers on the verge of adulthood.”
—Valley Vantage
