Pearl Street

Robby Owens is desperate to fit in with the people of Willits, a harsh logging town unlike the polite society he knew in an upper-class family in Pittsburgh, PA. Pearl Street is the story of a fourteen-year-old east-coast transplant living in a remote small town in northern California-a riches-to-rags story. After his parents' divorce, Robby and his alcoholic mother move across country to be closer to Robby's older brother and his brother's new wife. Despite some positive steps, Robby struggles to make friends. His mature appearance, east coast accent, and love of literature set him apart. Robby's crush on a young English teacher evokes memories of a dark secret and a tragic death from the previous year, plaguing him with guilt and despair. Robby's isolation drives him to thoughts of suicide. Ironically, he forms a bond with another misfit, an attractive but semi-literate neighbor named Candy, who hides a terrible secret of her own.