A poignant story of a boy picking up the pieces of his life after the
unexpected death of his father, and the loyalty, concern, and friendship
he finds in his small-town community.
Justin doesn't know anything these days. Like how to walk down the halls
without getting stared at. Or what to say to Jenni. Or how Phuc is
already a physics genius in seventh grade. Or why Benny H. wanders
around Wicapi talking to old ghosts. He doesn't know why his mom
suddenly loves church or if his older brother, Murphy, will ever play
baseball again. Or if the North Stars have a shot at the playoffs.
Justin doesn't know how people can act like everything's fine when it's
so obviously not. And most of all, he doesn't know what really happened
the night his dad died on the train tracks. And that sucks.
But life goes on. And as it does, Justin discovers that some things are
just unknowable. He learns that time and space and memory are grander
and weirder than he ever thought, and that small moments can hold big
things, if you're paying attention. Just like his math teacher said,
even when you think you have all the information, there will be more.
There is always more.
Set during the Gulf War era, Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened is a
story about learning to go on after loss, told with a warmth that could
thaw the coldest Minnesota lake.