In this haunting and stunning book, Benedix tells us Joe’s story. Somehow, she tells us a story that doesn’t necessarily want to be told. Somehow, she manages to tell Joe’s bold and painful story while her own story simultaneously sneaks in. With breathtaking grace, Benedix navigates the wild, wandering shapes that such stories can take on. And because she invites her readers in so graciously, we are not merely on-lookers or voyeurs. Benedix offers us the chance to become active agents in the storytelling. She allows us to become empathy detectives. And so Benedix tells us Joe’s story, and her story, and even our own. Sarah Gerkensmeyer, Author of what you are now enjoying, winner of the Autumn House Fiction Prize, Late Night Library’s Debut-litzer, and the Indiana Authors Award