I loved these characters, I loved this writing, I loved these stories. This isn't a book that wraps up neatly, or has a particularly strong plot arc that reaches a conclusion.

Instead, it takes you alongside the lives of two kids as they grow up - sometimes alongside each other, sometimes afar, but each always somewhere in the other's world. They each work through their own difficulties in life, sometimes together, more often on their own or with others.

I'm not describing it well, because it's difficult to capture, but it's skillfully written. The author provides an intimate but comfortable window into his characters' lives as they grow and change and discover themselves and others across the span of a decade or so. It's well worth the read, and I'm glad I finally picked it up.