Part of book project. Could be spoilers. This is told in the voice of a boy/young man, he is 15/16 for most of the book, and he isn't a very interesting character. He isn't very bright or perceptive and he is led by his you-know-what. The other characters are drawn by him so our knowledge of them is pretty limited. It isn't clear to me why the strong male character in the book wants this kid as his son-in-law, and he seems to want that even before the kid has sex with his daughter. I guess it is a story of the consequences of careless actions. But there is no depth to the main character's love for Joan (the girl he gives up) either. So the book just kind of goes along. Certainly my impression is influenced by my lack of deep knowledge about the culture, and some of the plot elements might make more sense to a person with more knowledge.