The one thing that led me to not liking this book as much as I potentially could have was the fact that the age of the narrator seemed so...undefined. I mean, I realize he is a freshamn in HS, but at times he seems to speak/act in a voice MUCH younger and at times a voice MUCH older. Partly, this may be because of his experiences as a child that do not get fully revealed until the end, but either way it seemed a bit inconsistent. I found that made it difficult connecting. The story though, of an odd young boy making friends with who he can and trying to "participate" in life, while suppressing memories that will later help explain why he is such an outsider, is very compelling. I also take issue with the language used...its too scripted. The author tries to make the characters seem so transcendent, etc. but the words he uses, the descriptions are too juvenile in tone to match that. I can see how, had I read it while I was a freshman in high school, it may have spoken more to me.