Reddit RVA Book Club discussion

This novel is based on the squat evictions of New York City's Lower East Side in the early 1990s. Not hoodlums, these squatters reclaimed abandoned properties and restored them of their own volition, as part of an urban homesteading initiative, until the city and real estate developers realized they could make a lot more money.

The story examines the lives of various squatters in the face of losing their homes, from their individual perspectives - the runaway girl seeking a family, the recovered addict clinging to fragile success, the Dutch expat turned reluctant leader, the family facing their own inner struggles. I found it to be a compelling read. The style is gritty and realistic, with engaging character studies and knowledgeable, confident narration.

Seeing through the eyes of different characters helps you realize that any whole is merely a sum of uniquely individual parts, and issues cannot be taken only in the abstract - that there are often complex details deserving equal consideration.