AcaPolitics: A Novel About College A Cappella

This first novel chronicles one school year in the life of college freshman Ben Jensen, who becomes involved in the a cappella community at fictional, middle American Brighton University. The sense of competition between the various groups%E2%80%94particularly between Ben's Chorderoys and the rival Harmoniums%E2%80%94becomes even more pronounced when budget cuts place in jeopardy the future of at least one of the school's six a cappella groups. Adding to this "acadrama," a love triangle arises when Ben falls for Caroline Cooper, but gets ensnared by the ambitious, conniving president of the Harmoniums, Dani Behlman. A very conventional narrative takes shape, the action limping toward the campuswide a cappella competition. Harrison occasionally overexplains the thoughts and emotions of his characters, leading to clumsy moments, e.g., a singer's "power gospel voice originated from a pounding red-hot core of feeling inside her chest."