Cheeseburger Subversive is a coming of age story written with humor and panache. It follows Dak Sifter from seventh grade through his first year of college. His life is actually very ordinary, with the usual problems involving parents, classmates, employers, but what makes it different is that Scarsbrook has a special eye for the absurd, a wonderful way of looking at the world that turns tragedy into humor. His best intentions go awry, repeatedly, especially when they involve a girl named Zoe Perry, whom he is madly attracted to. A chapter called "Pushin Pickle", captures the terror of a first job, where Dak, afraid to admit he doesn't know what he is supposed to do, tries to bluff his way through, with disastrous results. Scarsbrook also knows when to pull back.
Dak convinces Zoe to attend the high school graduation dance with him, and what he hopes will be the most wonderful night of his life goes so horribly that he only hints at the terrible things he did that cause Zoe, a year later, to still refuse his telephone calls. Every situation is easy to identify with for most of us have been there and done that. A very funny and heart-warming debut.