Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos

By: Nash Jenkins

Narrated by: Will Damron

“[A] striking debut. . . funny, heartbreaking, and real.”––SAM LANSKY, author of Broken People

Prep meets The Secret History in this searing debut novel about a tragic scandal at an American prep school, told in the form of a literary investigation through a distinctly millennial lens

When Foster Dade arrives at Kennedy, an elite boarding school in New Jersey, the year is 2008. Barack Obama begins his first term as president; Vampire Weekend and Passion Pit bump from the newly debuted iPhone; teenagers share confidences and rumors over BlackBerry Messenger and iChat; and the internet as we know it is slowly emerging from its cocoon. So, too, is Foster emerging—a transfer student and anxious young man, Foster is stumbling through adolescence in the wake of his parents’ scandalous divorce. But Foster soon finds himself in the company of Annabeth Whittaker and Jack Albright, the twin centers of Kennedy’s social gravity, who take him under their wing to navigate the cliques and politics of the carelessly entitled.

Eighteen months later, Foster will be expelled, following a tragic scandal that leaves Kennedy and its students irreparably changed. When our nameless narrator inherits Foster’s old dorm room, he begins an epic yearslong investigation into what exactly happened. Through interviews with former classmates, Foster’s blog posts, playlists, and text archives, and the narrator’s own obsessive imagination, a story unfurls—Foster’s, yes, but also one that asks us who owns our personal narratives, and how we shape ourselves to be the heroes or villains of our own stories.

Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos is about privilege and power, the pitfalls of masculinity and its expectations, and, most distinctly, how we create the mythologies that give meaning to our lives. With his debut novel, Nash Jenkins brilliantly captures the emotional intensities of adolescence in the dizzying early years of the twenty-first century.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of Foster Dade's iTunes Playlists

Beautifully written

It was very beautifully written and introspective at points. It’s writing style draws you in completely and the reader is as immersed in the settings as Foster is. As noted in the summary, it is like a modern successor of The Secret History, though it’s younger characters create more of a sense of immaturity & naivety in their actions. Good read.

Great depiction of boarding school

A great coming of age novel that depicts the niche culture of boarding schools quite well

Fully Enjoyed it

A beautifully intelligent observation on the realities of losing your virginity in the age of BBM. Heartbreaking, funny, and complete

Narration Makes It

Loved this book and am astonished at how well all the identities were narrated. Looked forward to hearing it each time I got in the car. Highly recommend.

Original and Riveting. I Couldn't Stop Listening!

This is just a cool and creative tale of love, sex, drugs and life at an elite boarding school. I think telling the tragic story of Foster Dade (great name) from the investigation slant is pure genius and I couldn't stop listening. The author takes his time letting things unfold and the characters are engaging from the outset. I had to keep reminding myself that these are teenagers.
Narration was spot-on and I would imagine it was challenging due to the format of the novel.

This is one of the best books I've ever listened to and I've listened to over 1000 of them. When I really love an audiobook I buy a hard copy and I've already done it. Nash Jenkins is brilliant and I can't wait to read his next book!