What I Leave Behind

Sixteen-year-old Will spends a great deal of time walking; he has ever since his father died and his best friend was raped. As he walks around L.A., he regularly encounters a little boy who is obsessed with butterflies, a homeless man he refers to as Superman, and a "a dog of insanity". He works at a dollar store with a socially awkward boss he calls Major Tom, and he makes sure to avoid the "blessings store" where Mrs. Lin sells a hundred blessings. In fact, each of the one hundred one-page chapters is numbered with a Chinese character. Through succinct but descriptive language, the author portrays a young man struggling to grapple with the past. This evocative novella by author Alison McGhee packs a punch!