Tom Lowe Jr., age 54, has made some poor decisions and has had a lot of bad luck. While working construction, he fell off a roof and permanently damaged his hip and pelvis. Either directly or indirectly as a result of the fall, he got hooked on pain killers, got divorced, became permanently unemployable, never visits his twenty year old son, and lives in public housing. When he learns that his son has been hospitalized, he tries desperately to go see him. This odyssey makes Tom aware of his faults and the kindness of others.

While reading Such Kindness, I remembered how much I like Andre Dubus. Although it is not as good as House of Sand and Fog, Such Kindness artistically illustrates how our choices, our understanding of those choices, and how these choices effect others makes us who we are. Tom Lowe Jr. is an interesting character and I was eager to see where he would end up.