Leave it to Lee Martin to once again pierce my heart with a story so full of sadness & hopelessnes &, yes, compassion for his characters. High school drop-out Laney Volk just can't get hold of her life or ultimately fatal flaw of wanting to help people who are "unhelpable". She is from New Hope, Il., described as "a ho-hum, no-chance-in-hell town", where she describes herself & her friends as "shiver spooks", those close to coming apart but no one cares. This is a story of people, yes, looking for love in all the wrong places and paying a terrible price. This story offers such insight into human nature & the plight of many of the unfortunates in our society. It really gets under your skin.