Self-serving adults and broken dreams push a teenage boy trapped in a dead-end town closer and closer toward the abyss. Esemori's relationship with Reiji's mother, Yuko, is a complex tale of infidelity, broken hearts, and an attempt at heroism that led to a fateful outcome. How does Esemori's tragic life inform his writing and his feelings for Reiji? And is Yuko really to blame for everyone else's suffering? Esemori's relationship with Reiji's mother, Yuko, is a complex tale of infidelity, broken hearts, and an attempt at heroism that led to a fateful outcome. How does Esemori's tragic life inform his writing and his feelings for Reiji? And is Yuko really to blame for everyone else's suffering?