IN JUPITER'S SHADOW 

Born in 1966 in rural Western New York – the last of six children in a devout Catholic family – Greg is the baby, the Caboose. When mom makes fudge, he's the one who gets to scrape the bowl. While his older brothers and sisters go to public school, he attends Saint Michael's – where a friendly nun with sturdy shoes and a ubiquitous guitar remind him of his favorite movie, The Sound of Music. At night, he sleeps with boards under his sheets – so he, too, can be as holy as the Saints he reads about.

Mystery surrounds Greg. At church during Mass, the priest dips his head, whispering indistinguishable prayers. At home, the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew provide an endless supply of adventure and intrigue. He devours their stories, mimics their behaviors, and dreams of the day when he too can solve a real-life puzzle.

At thirteen, Greg's own mystery presents itself in the most unlikely place – the steamy bathtub on the second floor. He discovers sexuality – and senses that it's wrong to think about Superman while doing so.

He's determined to crack the case – to figure out how to be attracted to girls. He builds a hidden detective agency on the second floor of the family barn, a place to dodge his father's alcoholic mood swings and listen to his favorite show, The CBS Radio Mystery Theater. His sister's available vodka and mother's huge meals only hinder his investigation. He finds companionship with his oldest brother (who suffers from hydrocephalus and memory problems) while his angst remains as tightly hidden as the stack of pornography he pilfers from his father's grocery store.

Mentorship from a Jesuit priest (an actor with a Hollywood past) and the shock of a close friend's unexpected death ultimately propel Greg to a point where he must solve the conflict between the shadow of expectations and the light of self-acceptance.

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