This book begins slow, and almost lost me. But the buildup is happening in the under-currents, and by half way through this little book it's clear it runs deep. Perhaps it's because I've experienced a broken family and think of my children in place of each of Raymie, Louisiana, and Beverly, but eventually my own feeling attached themselves here. From Raymie's searching for meaning, Louisiana's maybe-deluded simplistic optimism, and Beverly's hard exterior over a loving child's heart, the reality explored in this novel is beautiful, alternating from darkness to vital, enlivening friendship. Louisiana's favorite song is a nice encapsulation of this novel: "rain drops keep falling on my head."