First published 2011
Doug Swieteck arrives as the new kid in town, carrying the weight of his family's troubles. His father's abuse casts a shadow over everything, and his older brother has returned from Vietnam damaged by war. Doug takes a job at a local deli, where he meets Lil Spicer, the owner's sharp-tongued daughter who refuses to let him retreat into himself. She pushes Doug in ways that force him to discover abilities he never knew he possessed. As their unlikely friendship grows, Doug begins to see new possibilities for his life. He learns to navigate the complex dynamics with his school peers while wrestling with his relationship to his traumatized brother. Most challenging of all, he must find a way to stand up to his abusive father. Through Lil's demanding but caring guidance, Doug starts to understand his own worth and potential.
Genres: fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unlikely-friendship
Setting: Vietnam
Period: 20th-century
360 pages · Hardcover · Clarion Books
Content warnings: abuse, domestic-violence, war