Set in Vancouver in 1984 as Soviet warships swarm the Atlantic, 'The Age' tells the story of Gerry, a troubled teenager whose life is suddenly and strangely catapulted into adulthood. Confronted by her mother's newest relationship, confusion about her father's abandonment, and anxieties about a looming nuclear incident, Gerry finds a kind of belonging with a group of misfits planning a subversive protest at the city's upcoming peace march, but her fascination with their leader and her struggle with sexual identity create a rift between Gerry and her best friend, Ian. Bolstered by her grandfather, an eccentric news anchor in the throes of a bitter divorce, Gerry tries to put herself at the centre of the group's violent plot. As the days leading up to the rally accelerate, Gerry finds herself escaping into a post-nuclear dystopia of her own creation. Her real life and fantasy life alternate until a collision of events and consequences forces her towards life or death decisions in both worlds. At the heart of the novel is Gerry's combative yet tender relationship with the older Ian, as she both yearns for and rejects his protectiveness towards her until it's too late. Stubborn, tough, and unaware of her vulnerability until tragedy occurs, Gerry navigates a razor's edge of emotion and events.