Overview
The autobiographical story takes place during Brown's adolescence, growing up Châteauguay, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal in Canada. Notably absent in the story are "the normal staples of teen life," such as sex and drugs, due to Brown's life being shaped by his strictly religious parents.
Brown ("Chester" or "Chet" throughout the book) depicts his introversion and his difficulty talking to people. He is bullied by classmates, and has trouble talking with girls, even though he is interested in them, and they express their interest in him. He constantly, and inexplicably, turns them away.
Chet's mother takes a hard line with him with regards to swearing. As a result, he has a hard time bringing himself to use such language, a fact that is picked up by his classmates who tease him for it and repeatedly try to trick him into swearing. This was the source for the original title of the story (Fuck) when first serialized.
Except in his imagination, Chet also has difficulty expressing affection for his mother, who, suffering from schizophrenia, dies while in the hospital.
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