Pan by Michael Clune
A Mind-Bending Coming-of-Age Novel That Blends Mental Health, Mythology, and Surreal Adolescence
From acclaimed memoirist and Guggenheim Fellow Michael Clune comes Pan—a wildly original debut novel about teenage anxiety, identity, and the ancient forces that may be shaping our consciousness.
Fifteen-year-old Nicholas is barely holding it together. After being kicked out by his Russian mother, he’s living with his emotionally distant father in the gray suburbs of Chicago. Then, during a routine geometry class, everything changes—Nicholas suddenly realizes that his hands are just objects, and his grip on reality begins to slip.
Diagnosed with panic attacks, Nicholas suspects something far stranger: the Greek god Pan might be trapped inside his body.
As Nicholas spirals, he’s joined by his best friend Ty and maybe-girlfriend Sarah on a surreal quest through classical literature, punk rock, and suburban occult rituals in a drug-fueled hideout called the Barn. There, charismatic Ian—an older teen and self-appointed prophet—leads a cult-like group of students toward dangerous enlightenment.
Blending mythology, music, mental health, and metaphysical dread, Pan is a dazzling exploration of adolescence in crisis. Hailed as “one of our most distinctive literary minds,” Clune channels the raw confusion of youth into a story that is both intellectually thrilling and emotionally resonant.
📘 Perfect For Fans Of:
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Literary coming-of-age fiction
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Surreal psychological novels
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Books exploring anxiety and panic attacks
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Mythology in modern settings
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The Topeka School, The Bell Jar, White Noise, or Catcher in the Rye with a metaphysical twist
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