An avid reader at a young age, Benjamin Pattison enjoyed such series as Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. Continuing to read into his early adulthood, he was heavily influenced by George Orwell’s Nineteen-Eighty-Four and Animal Farm. These books, along with Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, led to a fascination with philosophical questions such as good vs. evil, individualism vs. collectivism, and individual responsibility vs. group guilt. This pursuit and self-education in concepts such as communism and socialism led Benjamin to be inspired to write fiction exploring these questions and concepts.
Moving between different time points, Some Anarchic Occasions is a coming-of-age story following the life of Johnny as he navigates the difficulty of negative parental relationships and their effects on his choices and relationships. He meets Charlie and they make a bargain to help with the other’...