Ollie barely survived his birth. Plagued with a deadly allergy to electricity, Ollie now lives in a cabin in the woods of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan with his mother, away from the comforts of civilization. The only other person who visits is Auburn-Stach, his doctor. It is a solitary life, but Ollie makes the most of it by reading books and enjoying strange hobbies. When, at twelve, a girl shows up on the porch to play, Ollie is flabbergasted. Soon he and Liz become friends, meeting every Wednesday on the long driveway leading to his cabin. Liz spends time with her uncle, who owns a junkyard next door, but still quite a distance through the woods.
Moritz is blind. He was born without eyes, and has gaping holes where eyeballs should be. Moritz has developed echolocation skills, and is able to "see" everything around him, including hearing heartbeats and the shifting of hair. Weak of heart, Moritz has a pacemaker that regulates his heartbeats after he died once. After leaving the lab that was built around him to study him, he ends up in a German high school with other students who are not expected to go anywhere in life.
These two are connected together by Auburn-Stach, who puts them in touch like the penpals of old. Through an exchange of correspondence, they both get to learn about the other and learn from each other. Ollie wants to explore the world, but also wants to learn more about his father, a secret his mother holds tightly. Moritz does not want the pity that he receives from people, and he wants to discover why his mother abandoned him. The two of them are deeply hurt and have large chips on their shoulders, and they hurt those who love them. But through it all, they continue their letter exchange, and eventually discover truths that change their lives forever ...
Told from each of the teen's perspectives, Ollie and Moritz offer an exploration of teen angst, love, desires, and hopes not often present in realistic fiction. Fans of coming of age stories will appreciate this dark but hopeful tale and will cheer for Ollie and Moritz as they attempt to escape the bonds that are holding them to the past.
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