Simon Powell is a young gay man in rehab who is urged by his counselor to write in order to learn who he truly is as a person and become a complete individual worthy of love. In his disturbing recollection of innocence lost, Simon leads an alienated, withdrawn life because of his homosexuality. Following his troubling early childhood, Simon depicts everything from his artistic talents to his parental neglect and near suicide. After falling into drugs and religion, Simon’s story takes him from the depths of addiction and self-loathing to battling back in an effort to realize his dreams of becoming an artist and starting a new life with Thad. Stressing the importance of self-reflection, “Simple Simon” attempts to show readers that learning who we are can lead to a happy and fulfilling life. A story about the choices we make and their subsequent consequences, the novel strikes a chord with readers with its message and Simon’s universal desire to be understood as a unique person who needs to learn how to love and be loved. Highlighting the struggles involved with coming out as a homosexual and the dangers of suppressing your true identity, “Simple Simon” explores how these inner conflicts can lead to drug dependency and suicide. Furthermore, by incorporating a desire to understand one’s place in nature completely separate from religious authority, the novel weaves in and out of religious themes like marriage equality and contemporary religious movements compared to traditional Christianity, creating a thought-provoking read for adults interested in alternative lifestyles and religion.