Raised by his Uncle Brian (aka Brain), with whom he still lives, Eddy Smallbone, 19, works at a grocery store and walks dogs for a living. He is smart, sensitive, kind, and struggling. Eddy (white) is hired by a nun studying Jungian psychology to care for her cockatoo, while a new dog-walking job morphs into babysitting a precocious, talkative seven-year-old girl and her quiet, reclusive older brother. Eddy also runs into his ex-girlfriend, Boo, whom he has not seen or talked to in two years, and discovers their romantic attraction remains. Each of these is a surprising, uplifting development in the present. The narrative also slowly reveals details of the past that upended Eddy emotionally. They include the devastating 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, where Eddy lives; the health struggles of his best friend, Toss; and what happened with Boo. All of it culminated in Eddy having a breakdown that resulted in him acting out and being expelled from his Catholic high school. Marvelous characters and meaningful relationships are the driving force of this tender, full-hearted story that begins in September and culminates just after a Christmas party at Brain and Eddy’s house, attended by Brain’s quirky old group of four friends and Eddy’s new friends. But the Christmas party also brings forth painful memories and confessions; these complete the picture of what Eddy has been dealing with, but also provide the catharsis he needs to embrace the future.