It started with an ad in a free Edmonton newspaper. It ended with a phone call telling me that one of my closest friends was dead.

Symptoms of Our Twenties is a book about friends. It's about how we make them, how they shape who we are, and the overwhelming grief when we lose them.

A two-decade-long platonic love story, this book tells the story of the friendship between Cam Fenton and Ben Sir. It explores themes of loneliness, connection, addiction and joy. With humour, wit, and some truly embarrassing stories, it reads like a punk rock record put to page. It's a coming-of-age story that reminds us that, at the end of the day, life is only as good as the folks that we believe in.

Cam Fenton is a freelance writer living in southwestern British Columbia. Over the years, he's covered environmental issues, politics, adventure stories and written about music and culture for a wide range of publications.