People are interested in labeling James Dunfour Sveck, but James isn't at all interested in people.

James, an 18 year old Manhattanite, has been branded a possibly “disturbed” “social misfit.” Unlike the rest of his classmates, he'd rather move to his own house in the mid-west than accept his invitation to go to Brown in the fall.  And though his sister and mother are "okay" with him being gay, James isn't ready to define his sexuality.  He’s forced into therapy after an incident on an elective school trip and his mother, a future three-time divorcee, is forced to fire James from her gallery after a misguided attempt by him to attract the attention of his coworker, John Webster.

James’s only true confidant is his grandma, who doesn’t need to define James at all.

Cameron’s writing is truly amazing.  I think the way he was able to describe the paintings, The Voyage of Life by Thomas Cole, through James’s eyes really adds to the sense of futility that the James feels. 

I would say Peter Cameron's Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You is a 4.5.