From the TalkEasy interview I have posted in links: Quoting Ocean, the moral question of the novel is 'What is the function of altruism when there's no way out? What is kindness, what is goodness, when it doesn't lead anywhere? Does goodness matter in an ant farm?'
In this novel the young protagonist is an immigrant in the USA and is pretending to his mum that he is flourishing at medical school as that is her dream for him. But in fact he is lonely and homeless and suicidal until he moves in with Grazina, a semi-senile old Eastern European immigrant who is also battling on the margins of American society. Their unusual friendship is tenderly developed, and Hai gets a job at a fast food place to support the two of them. Here he finds a family, kindness and a support structure in his poor working-class colleagues. This is a beautifully sensitive account of life on the fringe written with a gentle humour and acceptance. It is a complex book and I found it helpful to watch some interviews with the author introducing his novel that I have put in the Links for this book.