As told from the point of view of the unnamed narrator, A Taste of Blackberries (HarperCollins, 1973) begins as he and his best friend Jamie go blackberry picking. We follow the boys as they take part in a series of exploits - some told in current narrative time, some revealed in poignant flashbacks - allowing the reader to witness their world and shared experience. When one of the boys tragically dies as a result of an allergic reaction to bee stings, the narrator struggles to cope with denial, grief, guilt, and loneliness, before coming to terms with the loss. The story is set Silver Spring, Maryland, near the author's birthplace in Washington, D.C.