Showing The Extraordinary Tale of Nicholas Pierce by Alexander DeLuca

Nicholas Pierce is missing five years of his life.

His obsessive compulsive disorder is the only relic of that forgotten childhood, his memories beginning with his adoptive family. When an unexpected package shows up on his front step, however, Nicholas' missing youth comes knocking. Finding nothing but a locked box and cryptic note that instructs him to ask his birth parents for the key, Nicholas must decide whether to ignore the package or answer the unknown sender's request.

Driven by curiosity and his inability to smash open a perfectly good box, Nicholas decides to journey to his birthplace to shed light on the life he can't remember.

Without a car, Nicholas turns to his only friend, an eccentric barista at the local café who claims he can converse with animals (he cannot). Together they set off on what evolves into a cross country search for his parents, with Nicholas struggling to manage his compulsive rituals along the way. From the cat lady with an unfortunate allergy, to a voodoo practitioner, to surprisingly holy highwaymen that leave them with little more than the shirts on their backs, each new encounter offers new information that brings them closer to uncovering Nicholas' mysterious past.