Brothers Michael & Francis are growing up without their father and mostly taking care of themselves while their mother is out working hard on their behalf. Children of immigrants, there are high expectations of both of them to succeed but Francis, the elder, is slowly dissuaded from following the acceptable path, rebelling and getting into trouble, eventually leaving school and receiving a reputation on the streets. A bright spot is the music he mixes with a friend, but that soon comes to a screeching halt as well.

The story flip flops between present day when Adult Michael is hosting a friend from the neighborhood who is visiting her ailing father, and the roiling past when Francis was planning on packing up and leaving the Park behind. The pacing does a great job in hiding the secrets the boys have and the problems (with their mother especially) which they choose to ignore. Racism, stereotypes, violence, family clashes- and more are all included here and wrapped in a simple but beautifully written tale.

I have a bad habit of judging a book by its heft (or lack thereof) and will only dubiously pick up a novel under 300 pages from an unknown author... luckily I received the incentive I needed when I was approved to read this title on NetGalley because this tale deserves to be read. I feel like we're just starting to get a huge influx of novels written by and about diverse voices and I'm thrilled to have even a small part as a reader to promote this book in the real world.

*Thanks to Bloomsbury & NetGalley for the free copy!*