The Beginning

South of Broad has definitely proved itself to be a great pick. It has a very sophisticated feel to it, which is a good change from the other books I've read before. The vocabulary is much more intriguing, adding a different feel to the book. So far, from reading, only one character has been introduced and his life has been described. He's a 17 year old boy, named Leo. His father is a teacher at the local high school and his mother is an ex-nun. Leo is a newspaper boy and an absolute perfectionist. He concentrates really hard to make his newspaper route perfect. All he wants to do is make the people he sees and helps happy. Behind his perfectionist exterior, Leo and his family do struggle. Leo's brother commited suicide when Leo was only 10 years old. Leo was the first one to find his brother dead in the bath tub when he came home. His brother was the perfect child, and seemed to lead a happy life. On the inside, nothing felt right to him. So, in the end, he decided to take his own life. That took a toll on the family, and the close knit family started to grow apart. Leo's parents work constantly, and they rarely spend time together. Leo has started to feel unworthy, and left out of the family.