Ben Wilson

Ben Wilson is one of the two protagonists. His story is set in 1977 and is told in standard prose. Ben is 12 years old and from Gunflint Lake, MN. He has lived with his aunt, uncle, and cousins since the death of his mother, Elaine, in a car accident a few months prior. Ben was born hard of hearing in one ear but can still hear out of the other.

Ben has been depressed and feeling lost since the death of his mother. One night, Ben sneaks out of his aunt and uncle's house into the house he lived in with his mother (located only a short walk away). There he begins to wonder about the identity of his father after finding a mysterious address and phone number from New York City in the pages of one of his mother's old books. While exploring his old house Ben...