An epistolary novel, the story is told via a series of letters the protagonist, Albert, writes to Professor Thompson, a counselor at the college where Albert is a freshman. A few letters written by Thompson addressed to Albert are also included. Albert expresses his opinions on social issues in his letters to Professor Thompson but always in relation to events in the story. He never goes off into rhetorical generalizations.
Albert is a former member of the Crips who spent time in juvie for running drugs and robbing old ladies. He gets a second chance at life thanks to the intervention of some community leaders and mentors. I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer is, among other things, a redemption story. It's also a grief-driven tragedy, a love story, and a work of social realism with some of the qualities of a picaresque novel.
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