At twenty-nine, Kelly Palamino's a little off-kilter but settled into his career of professional dishwasher. His big, blonde, ex-hippie wife, Julie has left him for good.

Funny, raunchy, and warm, Skipped Parts is one of the great coming of age novels of the last three decades. Banished to the early 1960s hinterlands of Wyoming, rebellious Lydia Callahan and her 13 year old son Sam have no choice but to cope.