I find myself still really grappling with this novel, so I will come back with a more comprehensive review. On the one side it is a story about belief and what develops our convictions-- be it self influence, culture, or personal experience. The main character is one that is just pure heart and hard to feel angry with though you certainly want to shake him. It does a great job of showing a breadth of experiences of people coming from similar backgrounds in the paths we choose to take. at the same time I'm having a hard time praising all of this when it centers around the fact that two adults are clearly taking advantage of not only an impressionable teenager, but practically selling another--using them as bait, ignoring her own autonomy.