Don’t expect Epsilon Zeta, Jock Young’s first novel, to be too enlightening about the true inner-workings of fraternity life. Set at a fictional northwestern Florida university, the book illustrates the slow internal combustion of the Gamma Nu chapter of the Epsilon Zeta fraternity and the chapter’s constant troubles with the national office.

The story concentrates on the processes of rushing, pledging and initiation in Epsilon Zeta. Packed with partying, sex, drugs and alcohol abuse, Epsilon Zeta does little to break any stereotype of fraternity life. Besides the shallow character development and overly dramatic storyline, Young’s overall unfocused style leaves the reader asking a lot of questions.

Young would have been better off telling the story from one brother’s point of view instead of expecting the reader to keep track of each character’s back-story and alliances with major faction leaders. Too many characters combined with Young’s long passages of dialogue with no speakers attached leads to further confusion.

Young fills the novel with detailed descriptions of fraternity rituals and customs, but fails to explain why the pledges volunteer to endure intense emotional abuse or how they feel about it. By the end of the story, the petty drama between the brothers overshadows the light Epsilon Zeta could have brought to fraternity life. Take a look at Alexandra Robbins’ sorority exposé Pledged instead. It’s a far more interesting look inside the Greek lifestyle.