Oliver is eleven years old, and he chose his own name—after his favorite Dickens character. He loves playing Snake on his phone and eating 'like in America'; he dreams of defeating the bully Tsapa, being cured of HIV, and joining a real family. But when his future mom and dad arrive from Salt Lake City, TV starts telling stories about the end of the world.

Novelist Nikita Franco, author of the bestsellers Days of Our Lives and Rear Window, explores social themes in his works. Franco's characters often find themselves in dead-end situations that we try not to think about. But, as experience shows, there is a way out—and it's always close by.