Curse of the Bearded Girlfriend — Charles Haddad

The Curse of the Bearded Girlfriend is a spoof on the coming-of-age genre that parodies the twilight of the hippie era. Curse takes its teenage protagonist on a cross-country journey with his former bully - a journey that grows dark after they hitch a ride with a young woman whose mental state rapidly deteriorates. While black comedy, this story is also a painfully authentic portrayal of a teenage boy grappling with his budding feelings of lust, love and the distinction between the two. Think of Curse as a modern day Portnoy's Complaint.