Russell Banks has a new book out, The Lost Memory of Skin, which is shaping up to be just as good as his others. One reviewer said the theme was "This is how a good man loses his goodness" just as in some other of Banks's novels; however, to me, one of the main points is that The Kid (the protagonist of the book) is still a boy despite what the calendar says. The Kid is a registered sex offender and it's hard for me to say anything that could be seen as excusing or even rationalizing that behavior; it is true that he is the victim of a globally irresponsible and indifferent mother -- you have to wonder if she's even a mammal. Anyway he is kept from being repugnant by his total lack of self-pity, even regarding the Catch-22 situation he's in -- legally he cannot leave the county, but also he can't ever go within 2500 feet of a place where minors might be. This means one of the three places he can actually stay is the hobo camp under the causeway, which is where he is when the book opens.
I don't mean to sound like you shouldn't read the book -- EVERYONE should read this.