Scudding Author:Leonard Gray In the spring of 1986, Cal Sheffield will graduate from college—if he can get an A on the final exam in his worst course. His favorite professor (who happens to be an attractive woman) tells him how, and he graduates. But what now? He has no plans for a career, and he can’t decide about his girlfriend, Diana, or another friend, Amy. He bu... more »ys a used Volkswagen camper and, with a new name, Grant (actually his real first name), heads West, for a different perspective. He has adventures on the road, then in California—with his car, with an aggressive hitch-hiker, and with several women he encounters. In spite of homesickness, he’s having fun, especially with the women, but begins to realize that this isn’t quite real. Then he meets Rosemary, and wants to stay with her. She likes him, but is disturbed by his inadequate efforts to get a good job. The California economy is in a slump, but he finds work in a small sailboat-rental company. Grant and Rosemary (a sailing neophyte) leave on a sailing cruise—for fun, and to demonstrate his maturity and nautical competence to his boss. It starts serenely, but after they’re well out to sea, a severe storm hits them, and their survival abilities are tested—nautically, and with respect to each other.« less