Mick Nichols, fifteen years old, opens and reads an e-mail to his stepmother, Nora, which was never meant for him to see. The contents of the e-mail shatter Mick's world. The beautiful stepmother that he has come to love and adore is having an affair with a man named Alexander Selkirk. Mick's quiet, trustworthy dad has no idea.
Mick is unable to tell his father or confront Nora. Mick is obsessed and burdened with this dark secret. Nothing else in Mick's life can distract him from this terrible secret that could tear his family apart.
Mick's anger over his stepmother and her affair turn him angry and he starts being uncommunicative at home. He must solve this secret.
Meanwhile, Mick starts a confusing, yet flattering friendship with a college freshman, Myra Vidal, who is famously gorgeous. Myra comes to depend on Mick and his friendship to help her through a confusing time in her life.
Mick also has a budding romance with a classmate, the beautiful, Mormon, field hockey player, Lisa Doyle. Lisa and Mick start to work together at Village Greens, an old folks home, where Lisa and Mick do ground work.
However, obstacles stand in the way of love for Mick. Lisa is interested in an off-limits Mormon missionary and Mick remains obsessed with finding Nora's lover.
One day, out of the blue, Mick meets Alexander Selkirk and Mick begins to realize all his problems may be zipped up together. Mick must find a way to resolve his problems.
Mick commits an uncharacteristic act of vandalism aimed at his stepmother's lover, which leads Mick to an emotionally satisfying confrontation with Nora. After their talk, Nora and Mick's dad seem to have a renewed marriage, which makes Mick very happy.
Toward the end of the novel, Mick's romance with Lisa takes off and several other subplots are wrapped up (which include robberies in the Village Greens where Mick works).
Throughout the novel, Mick learns that the adults in his life whom he idolized have their own problems, and that relationships are more complex than he ever thought possible.
I thought this novel offered a surprising lesson in morals, love and relationships. The characters are believable and interesting. I think this novel will appeal to teens interested in moral ethics and human interaction.
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