Think back to the ’80s. Remember the big hair, neon clothes, multiple socks and punk rockers.

Now imagine college life in that scary decade — all of the above plus alcohol and sex. This is the plot of “House of Kidz” by Colin Cohen.

For his first novel, Cohen draws heavily on his experiences at George Washington University, where he was a class of ’87 fraternity member. The university serves as the setting of the book, which is almost entirely in the form of a flashback.

“Kidz” begins with Jake Stein, “a 31-year old suburbanite [with] a great-paying job as a junior partner in a cutting-edge management consulting firm, a beautiful wife and two children, and enough toys and gadgets to keep [him] occupied on even the dullest of Sundays.”

After the first chapter, the modern-day Jake serves only as a narrator of his own memories.

On the first day of college, Jake arrives at his dorm room a self-professed Nietzsche wanna-be and an apathetic rebel against his Jewish heritage, his parents and even his peers. His attitude quickly changes when he meets his new roommate, George, and drinks his first beer.

Through George, Jake is introduced to more and more womanizing drunks and more and more beer. Soon, Jake begins to turn into a completely different person, caring about things he never used to give a second thought to.

Jake’s major turning point comes when he attends his first fraternity party.

At first, Jake and his friends are there only for the free beer but eventually decide to join Tau Mu, a largely southern fraternity still pledging devotion to the Confederacy.

Jake recalls in vivid detail his “brotherhood” adventures, all of which include nudity, alcohol or (in extreme situations) both.

With “Kidz,” Cohen manages to cause quite a stir among his former fraternity brothers. Readers may initially wonder why this is.

Cohen portrays Jake to have the best time of his life with his Tau Mu brothers. There is a lot of unthinkable behavior that goes on inside the house walls, but come on. These are frat boys, not Cub Scouts.

The problem with “Kidz” comes at the end of the book. As today’s Jake remembers his fraternity life, he starts wonder, “Had I really become a better, happier and prouder man? Or did I just sell out who and what I was, all for a dream that was never really mine?”

In a way, Jake betrays his past and all of the good memories he held of his fraternity brothers. The thing left to wonder is how Cohen truly feels about his experiences as a fraternity member.

Because of the author’s contradiction of feelings, this book becomes confusing, leaving a feeling that something is not quite finished. However, the book is an easy read, and there is never a shortage of unbelievable anecdotes.

“Kidz” is either a homage to the wild fraternity lifestyle or a glaring warning against it.

Take your pick.

2 1/2 stars out of five

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Kelsey Foutch is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Waterloo.