Krueger's novel is a coming of age story revolving around five deaths in a small Minnesota town in the summer of 1961. The story is told by 13 year old Frank as he describes the effect of the deaths on his family and the community. The author develops the characters of his brother Jake, father Nathan and mother Ruth, his father's friend Gus, sister Arial, Emil and Lise, Karl Brant, Warren Redstone, and more. There is mystery and intrigue in a who done it story in which Frank states, "there is no such thing as a true event?" The book explores the role of religion in families and communities, as well as the way we recognize death. "The dead are never far from us. They're in our hearts and on our minds and in the end all that separates us from them is a single breath, one final puff of air."
Overall it is a very good read that I recommend.
