Bridie O'Connor is the most intriguing character Finn and his fourth-grade classmates have ever met. She is fearless willing to say anything that comes into her mind and everything about her is messy and a little off. It is love at first sight for Finn but it will be almost a decade before he is ready to admit it. In graceful and seamless prose Harry Gauley captures the world of a close-knit urban community and a way of life that exists no more.