From start, the story captured my attention and by the end I was sorry it was ending! Joel’s performance (it’s simply not just a narration) was flawless and spot on. Lionel is that brave brash soul who’s willing to suffer the slings and arrows to stand up for who he is and express himself. Dog is closeted (to his family) and still trying to find out how to reconcile family and society’s expectations for him and his own self worth and sexuality. I cannot help but love Lionel (and Carlotta) while I can’t help having a wish to slap some sense into Dog. It’s amazing how similar Dog is to his father — and how they both scrape and crawl their way towards opening up and accepting new ideas (albeit with some prodding from others and circumstances). This was a perfect story to get lost in and enjoy it every step of the way (laughter, cringes, anger, angst, and romance). Highly recommended.