I read this in ebook format. It's amazing. It has some of the most emotionally painful scenes I have ever read. When the narrator, Dell, and his sister visit their arrested parents in the jail every detail brings out what a sad, experience this is. Yet, as a reader I didn't feel manipulated. This is how it would really feel. The author makes frequent use of repetition and foreshadowing. Again, it is done so naturally I never felt it was artificial. When the narrator says he never went to a place again or never saw someone again, you know something important is going to happen.
In a way the book relies a lot on coincidences to move the plot forward. Maybe the plot isn't the most important thing. The inner thoughts of Dell and how he reacts to the world are what count.
I also have this story in audiobook format. I intend to listen to it later on.
