James Sveck is an isolated young adult caught in the summer before he is to begin college at Brown University. The only person in his life with whom he is able to successfully relate to is his grandmother; otherwise, James prefers solitude. Cameron’s use of first-person narration allows the reader to create an intimate relationship with James as he works through his life and through the therapy sessions mandated by his parents. The reader learns about James’ present as he recounts the events of his days, but the reader also learns about James’s past through his reflection in therapy sessions.