While I couldn't entirely relate to the 19=year-old protagonist as he is thrust into a parenting role when his mother is killed, I appreciate his struggle between his sense that he has a duty to care for his much younger half brother and his belief that he should do something about his mother's death. The plot thread dealing with the younger brother is amusing. The rest of the novel tends to be unfocused and at times bewildering. I'm sure that's deliberate, but that doesn't turn confusion into a virtue. There is enough compelling writing here to turn eke out a four star rating, but it probably only deserves 3 1/2.