Man's Story is a crime-thriller-coming of age novel that takes place in Orange County, California in 1974. The style is reminiscent of writers such as Karl Knaussagaard Ove, Roberto Bolano and Elena Ferrante. It explores the themes of male violence inherent in the culture and how it is imbued in boys at an early age, specifically the two boys central to the story, Manuel and Gerald, who witness the secret lives of their fathers, which includes sex, drugs and murder. It also deals with the gradations of assimilation for Mexican Americans in Southern California.