BLUE EYES BLACK CORAL

“A witty, beautifully written look at a young man's internal battle—and the sharp, captivating girl he will do anything to win.”

The year is 1984. Eighteen-year-old Benton Wilkes arrives at the University of Georgia looking for adventure. When his freshman year quickly dissolves into a stinging period of abandonment and loneliness, an intramural football team rescues him, introducing an unforgettable cast of eccentric friends.

Benton’s world shifts when he meets Shelly, a girl with deep blue eyes and a painful past. She challenges his witty, superficial facade, forcing him to face the person in the mirror. But as Benton tries to outmaneuver a rival for her heart, a series of harmless pranks escalates into a tangled web of anonymous attacks that puts him into a county jail cell.

To find true freedom, he must dive beneath the surface of his own calculations, confront his deepest flaws, and figure out what it truly means to drop the mask.

Blue Eyes Black Coral is a witty, emotionally raw coming-of-age story about the masquerades we play—and the grace that finally sets us free.