Most of the plot revolves around an RV that Pete drives up to Joey's house. Pete plans to surprise them with a great trip to see things. But with Pete, things are rarely exactly as he says. During the road-trip part of the story, Joey is little more than an observer of his mother's heavy drinking and her boyfriend's aforementioned displays of poor hygiene.

You're probably getting the feeling I didn't like this book much. The truth is that I liked the last quarter of the book a lot. Once Joey's dad enters the story and we deal with some conflict and tough decisions for Joey, the book really begins to shine and we get a sense that Joey is going to grow and change from this experience. The author's experience in the Marine Corps, no doubt helped him build Joey's dad, an ex-Marine, into a character with depth and believable reactions and motivations. So, if you can make it through the long road-trip, the pay-off is excellent.