Theo, the main character, lives with his mother, who is taking him to the MOMA to kill time before an important meeting at his school to discuss his recent suspension on unfair grounds. His attention is caught by a young girl about his own age, with a man Theo supposes is her grandfather. Unbelievably, his mother leaves him momentarily to run to the gift shop while he continues to look at the art, and at that moment a bomb goes off, killing several people and gravely wounding others. The girl's grandfather is one of those who die on the scene, but before he dies, he and Theo have an exchange which will determine the course of the rest of Theo's life. Eventually, he walks home, and it is a few days before he is told his mother has been confirmed dead. This begins his life of being shuffled to different caretakers including his estranged father, and later into organized crime.
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Best part of story, including ending:
The description was wonderful and the characterization rich and complex.
Best scene in story:
A scene where Theo visited art traffickers and discussed terms of a particular painting. It portrayed the "other side" of fine priceless art and the uses it can have other than its intrinsic enjoyment.
