DescriptionThe novel alternates between two voices: Nora Roy, a Shakespeare-quoting geek with the reputation of a hardened murderer; and Malik Robinson, a computer-whiz golden boy destined for success. Nora Roy is drawn into the crimes of Malik’s older brother (her long-ago and still-present crush, Ozzie) as Malik begins dating a suburban girl with whom he has, on the surface, little in common. Nora Roy’s shy and budding neighborhood romance with Ozzie is set against, and soon collides with, Malik’s head-over-heels cross-town love affair. When Nora Roy discovers that Ozzie is having trouble footing the bills for his mother’s Parkinson’s treatment, she enlists Malik’s help to stage more lucrative thefts. Malik has the perfect robbery opportunity: his girlfriend’s largely absent parents would not notice a necklace missing here, a ring missing there in their spacious suburban home. As Nora Roy, Malik, and Ozzie begin stealing from suburbia, they struggle with questions of morality and identity, asking themselves how far they are willing to go and what relationships they are willing to risk.