Once again, I am utterly charmed by Nielsen's voice and how her characters are so completely themselves. This one deals with a much more serious (and topical) subject than Word Nerd did: bullying, and its most horrifying aftermath. Our protagonist's brother, after enduring years of abuse (some of which is described in graphic, disturbing detail), does the... well, it's not the unthinkable anymore. I wish so hard it were unthinkable, but these kinds of incidents happen and keep happening, which makes this book poignant and timely and important. 
 This isn't Jesse's story, however, though he hovers at the edges of the pages like a ghost. It's the story of his younger brother Henry, trying to pick up the pieces of a life and family blown apart, trying to start over and realizing slowly that you can't, exactly. 
 It made me cry, which is a rare thing in books, but I also need to stress (before I make this sound all gloomy) what a FUNNY book this is. Darkly funny, sometimes, but other times just plain funny. Nielsen gives us a diverse cast of high school misfits, weird neighbours, grieving parents, professional wrestlers, odd mental health professionals, all through the eyes of honest Henry, who is (like Ambrose in Word Nerd) observant, introspective, level-headed, and still so much a kid. 
 The language caveats from my review of Word Nerd apply, and then some. The bullying scenes (one in particular) are deeply, deeply upsetting. But you know, kids are resilient. That's what this book is about. I think this is an important (and upsetting) subject, and one that needs to be brought out into the light. The tragedy of Jesse is that he feels he can't tell anyone, especially his parents. He wants to protect them from the truth. I don't think young readers need to be protected from this truth. The truth is an important inoculation against bullying. 
 (Full disclosure: Susin Nielsen is my fellow GG Literary Award nominee, and my neighbour here in Vancouver. This book is set in our neighbourhood, which tickles me to no end. I didn't tell her I was reading her book, in case I didn't enjoy it. So, there's the pinch of salt. YMMV, and all that.)