Brothers Jay and Max, 11 months apart, are high school seniors in Minnesota. They live with their mother, who is Bribri (Indigenous Costa Rican), and their physically abusive white dad, always on high alert for danger. Because their dad is much less likely to hurt their mom if one of them is around, they make sure she’s alone with him as little as possible. Jay and Max are also in counseling after beating up Luca, their cousin Nicole’s boyfriend, when they were sure he was physically threatening her. After their father is arrested and sent to jail, the tight bond between the brothers begins to fray. Jay is smart but has never considered leaving his mom to go college. He continues to spend most of his free time at home or with Nicole, and he remains fixated on the danger Luca represents. Meanwhile, Max is working on his portfolio for his art school application, secretly dating a girl named Melody, and feeling frustrated by his brother’s disinterest in the future. When the growing tension between the two erupts into violence, the presence of their Bribri grandfather, who comes to spend a few weeks, is calming for Jay especially as the brothers make steps toward reconciliation and independent, hopeful futures. This beautifully written exploration of the impact of family trauma and abuse is written in Max’s and Jay’s alternating voices; Max in verse and Jay in prose. (Age 14 and older)