It’s the boozy 1990s, and Dakris ‘Dak’ Manell arrives in London in search of a purpose. He has potential, he is convinced of it, but has yet to figure out what that means.

His luck seems to change when he meets a group of intellectuals who offer him the guidance he desperately craves. Through their friendship Dak discovers art, philosophy, and the seemingly unlikely idea that fiction is worth reading.

But his troubles are far from over. Stuck in a dead-end job, he lives hand to mouth and keeps wandering in and out of misguided love affairs that threaten his resolve to make something of himself.

Dak must now face the limits of his working-class upbringing as he embarks on a journey of emotional and intellectual discovery that will shape his life in ways he could never have imagined.

Striven is a vivid and irreverent account of a young man’s struggles with ambition, desire, manhood, social class, women, friendship, self-improvement, and the uncovering of one’s potential.