What I Know Now is a coming-of-age novel, and Larson opens a window into Dave's mind by describing his daydreams and fantasies. Like many adolescent boys, Dave is preoccupied with his fantasies. He uses them for comfort, to escape from the pressures he feels in his changing world. By revealing Dave's private thoughts, Larson succeeds in creating a sympathetic character. He makes us see that what Dave feels is a natural adolescent desire for love and acceptance, and he makes us understand that, with the proper guidance, Dave will become sensitive and caring enough to give love and acceptance in return.

Larson uses Dave's fantasies in part to highlight the mixture of curiosity and confusion he feels about sex. He conveys these feelings using sexual props and sexual imagery as well. Dave is reading Madame Bovary at the beginning of the novel, for instance, hoping to...