What happens when you have a reclusive - and more than slightly antisocial - artist, his orphaned nephew, and his nephew's new teacher? A very interesting story called Good to Know.

Jerry McKenzie is the above-mentioned artist and he would rather keep his life as it is instead of taking care of his orphaned nephew. William, Jerry's nephew, is used to feeling alone and unwanted and thinks that Jerry is one more adult that will not want him.  David Loewenberger, William's new teacher, is determined to change that once he is aware of the boy's circumstances. As everyone gets to know each other, circumstances change, feelings change, and even lives change. Some things change for the better, some for the worse.

Good to Know was a very good read that was hard to put down. I liked the characters - the reclusive and somewhat ascerbic Jerry, David's passionate nature that lets itself out in many ways, William (the shy boy in need of love and attention), the rather narrow minded Bennett Thiry, and Lenore the ex-nun that makes a "habit" to turn the air blue every so often. They all come across as well-rounded and they make up the parts that make the whole story come together in their own ways. They show that appearances are, more often than not, deceiving and that the unexpected has a way of enriching the life of even the staunchest of recluses - in more ways than one.