Reviewing this book properly would necessitate revealing the plot and spoiling the author's skillful and unusual handling of character development, narrative design, and technique. I have not read this author before. He is apparently known for his sensitive and creative exploration of serious social issues through fiction, and this book would be consistent with that.

While she's in college, Laurel is brutally attacked while riding her bike on a wooded country road in Vermont. The story quickly fast forwards about six or seven years to her job in a homeless shelter, where she treats the clients with unusual passion and sensitivity. The death of a popular old man, a recent client of the shelter whose history is one of life-long mental instability and schizophrenia, and the discovery of a box of old pictures in his possession send Laurel into an obsessive search for the man's history and family that leads to a can't-put-it-down psychological thriller right up to the end.

Through the story and the characters, the author shines a spotlight on the complexities of both homelessness and mental illness.