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I thought this would be a soft healing type novel with little in the way of plot but I was (pleasantly) surprised to find it's actually a gritty snapshot of a town mired in poverty and it's residents.
The main character is an 18 year old high school drop out who works nights in a convenience store. Through his interactions with the night time customers you get a glimpse into the struggles of the locals who are treading water just to keep afloat and how the creep of urban redevelopment and gentrification is changing their town around them.
It was nowhere near as depressing as I just made it sound, the main character is very matter-of-fact about the reality of life in his town, but also friendly and curious about the world. The main cast of characters have a lot of warmth for one another.
There was a lot of dialogue which was overall pretty easy as long as you are used to informal spoken language (and if you're not, good exposure). But there were some sections that were a level more challenging, for example a description of a property investment scandal and a couple more philisophical conversations. Overall these were quite short and even if you don't follow them 100% you'll still understand the overall plot.