After his dad dies of suicide, Will tries to overcome his
own misery by secretly helping the people around him in this
exquisitely crafted story made up of one hundred chapters of
one hundred words each, by award-winning and bestselling
author Alison McGhee.
Sixteen-year-old Will spends most of his days the same way:
Working at the Dollar Only store, trying to replicate his
late fatherβs famous cornbread recipe, and walking the
streets of Los Angeles. Will started walking after his
father committed suicide, and three years later he hasnβt
stopped. But there are some places Will canβt walk by: The
blessings store with the chest of 100 Chinese blessings in
the back, the bridge on Fourth Street where his father died,
and his childhood friend Playaβs house.
When Will learns Playa was raped at a partyβa party he was
at, where he saw Playa, and where he believes he could have
stopped the worst from happening if he hadnβt left earlyβit
spurs Will to stop being complacent in his own sadness and
do some good in the world. He begins to leave small gifts
for everyone in his life, from Superman the homeless guy he
passes on his way to work, to the Little Butterfly Dude he
walks by on the way home, to Playa herself. And it is
through those acts of kindness that Will is finally able to
push past his own trauma and truly begin to live his life
again. Oh, and discover the truth about that cornbread.
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