ADHD Much?

Witty, defiant Oscar tells an unforgettable story of a misunderstood, mistake-riddled teen. Of losing his sense of wonder. Of chasing a lie across America. Of discovering the power of second chances.

Oscar Danielsson isn’t ready for the real world—yet. But he’s 18 now, and everyone’s got expectations. Why not? With his sharp wit and melancholy good looks, his future's as promising as anybody’s. Lie. He’s not like anybody. He’ll take his bedroom over hanging out. Self-medication over whatever his shrink prescribes for his ADHD. And it’s hard enough to get out of bed in the morning, let alone write a stupid paper in time to graduate from high school. If it wasn't for his old spaniel, Enzo, he's not sure he'd want to stick around.

Just when he meets Bette, the weirdest cute girl on the planet, a scrape with the law Oscar’s too out of it to remember sends him blasting down America's highways with his eccentric Grammy. Leaving Bette, Enzo, and all his vices behind is torture. But he'll do anything to ditch the shame. And if they make good time, he can repay his debts to his boss, snag his diploma, and slip back into bed like nothing ever happened. But that would be another lie.

If you fell for Charlie Kelmeckis in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sutter Keely in The Spectacular Now, or Theodore Finch in All the Bright Places, Promising Young Man’s Oscar Danielsson will melt, break, and then repair your heart.

Like "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephan Chbosky and "It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini, "Promising Young Man" explores themes of social anxiety, mental health, and the challenges of navigating adolescence told from the perspective of a young protagonist as he undergoes a journey of self discovery. Like Colin Higgin's "Harold and Maude," Promising Young Man's story is quirky & intergenerational.