The young Lua grows up in this smooth world. She makes friends with the exjunkie Eddie, a disreputable neighbor. Being an expert on sorting things out, she rents her shoes to some of her classmates in exchange for a few bucks, she deals liquorice sticks, lollipops and nougat. She makes friends with her teacher James Freak, « this young teacher with snow white hair » who is missing a finger.
But this pleasant and untroubled life comes to a sudden halt when Lua’s father brings home a tarantula. The spider is a metaphor for adolescence and represents all the fears and disappointments of the adult world.
A short novel with engaging characters, in the same vein as Raymond Carver or Carson McCullers’ stories.
