Twelve short stories about love, loss, failure, and acceptance by an award-winning author. The daughter of an alcoholic desperate to be loved. A father reliving a failed dream though his teenaged son. A struggling immigrant surprised to discover that money does not buy happiness. A creative boy struggling to please his dead father. An eco-warrior defying her entire town for what she believes is right. A father unable to reconcile the assault of his daughter with the world he raised her to believe in. A gay pastor in self-imposed exile from church and family. A stranger in a Santa suit dispensing fatherly advice. A granddaughter who must end the life of the woman who raised her. A survivor of a small-town drug addict determined to save her cousin from terrifying dreams. An anxiety sufferer who finds refuge in sadomasochism. A university student looking for love in all the wrong animal liberation schemes. In sharp, insightful prose, Boy With a Problem taps into the heart of our deeply human fear of failing to truly connect with others. The fissures that erupt between us, how quickly they widen from cracks to chasms-this is the thread running through these wise, raw, and tender stories.