The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Donovan, John. I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip. Flux, 2010.

The novel opens after Davy’s grandmother’s funeral. Davy returns to the house where he previously lived with his grandmother. He is accompanied by several members of his family, including his mother, with whom he does not have a close relationship. Davy is aware that the adults are discussing his future. In the meantime, he distracts himself by going for walks with Fred, a dachshund his grandmother gave him for his eighth birthday. Davy’s mother insists that he come to New York to live with her. Davy is open to this idea, but becomes upset when she suggests that he would have to give Fred away. Eventually, Davy’s mother agrees that Fred can come to New York, and they begin making preparations for the move.

Davy has a hard time adjusting to life with his mother in New York. It soon becomes clear that she has a drinking problem. She frequently acts irritated with Fred, and sometimes with Davy, though she usually apologizes afterwards, and often is eager to stress to Davy how much she loves him. Meanwhile, Davy begins to see his father and his father’s new wife Stephanie on weekends. Davy gets along well with them in general, but his interactions with his father are sometimes awkward.

Davy’s mother has enrolled him at a private Episcopalian school. On his first day there, a boy named Altschuler seems to take an immediate dislike to him. Altschuler is upset that Davy has been placed in the seat of a boy named Larry Wilkins. Davy gradually learns that Altschuler and Larry are friends, and that Larry is now ill and expected to die soon.

In the meantime, Altschuler and Davy participate in writing and performing a play based on Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in their English class, with Davy playing the part of Caesar and Altschuler playing the part of Brutus. The play becomes less and less faithful to Shakespeare’s original due to Altschuler’s chaotic mood. After their performance, Altschuler and Davy walk home together. Altschuler tells Davy that Larry has died.

Davy has a dream in which he is walking along a beach where he used to go with Fred, but the beach becomes longer. He takes off his clothes and runs away from everything that is familiar. Eventually, faced with strong, stinging wind, he finds his way back to his clothes and Fred. Following his dream, he begins to become friends with Altschuler.

One day Altschuler becomes sullen after Davy refuses his invitation to spend Saturday with him, explaining that this is the day he normally spends with his father and Stephanie. They do not speak for a while as a result, but after they perform another play together, Androcles and the Lion, Altschuler apologizes for being unfriendly and they reconcile. While playing with Fred, they fall on the floor and kiss. After this, they behave normally with each other, but Davy is unsure of how to feel. The next day, which is Friday, he does not talk to Altschuler at school. At home, he speaks on the phone with his father, who cancels their plans for the next day because Stephanie has a cold. Expressing concern for Davy spending the day alone, Davy’s mother calls Altschuler’s mother and arranges for Altschuler to stay over on Saturday night.

After Altschuler leaves on Sunday, Davy reflects on what happened between them the night before, with the implication that it was sexual or romantic. The following Friday, Altschuler and Davy walk home from school, and they both confess to thinking about what happened between them. Later, they drink some of Davy’s mother’s whiskey and fall asleep on the floor together. When Davy’s mother finds them, she becomes alarmed, asking Davy after Altschuler leaves whether they did anything “unnatural” (1856). Davy becomes angry at her wanting to know everything about him while she was absent for much of his childhood. She calls his father.

Davy’s father arrives and talks to him privately while his mother takes Fred for a walk. His father guesses at the nature of his relationship with Altschuler and suggests that there is nothing wrong with it, but also warns Davy against committing to a certain way of life that might close off other options to him. When they are finished talking, Davy goes to look out the window. He sees that Fred has gotten away from his mother and that she is chasing him. Davy runs downstairs, but Fred is hit by a car and killed before he can reach him.

Davy becomes convinced that it is his “unnatural” (1856) behavior with Altschuler that caused Fred’s death. He begins to avoid Altschuler. Davy is elected captain of a traveling baseball team at school. One day, after a game, Altschuler pats Davy on the shoulder while congratulating him on a hit, and Davy becomes angry, telling Altschuler about his idea that Fred died because of what they did. They begin to fight and Davy’s head is injured. Altschuler calls later and says that he did not mean to hurt him.

Altschuler and Davy walk home again one day. Davy asks Altschuler to spend a Saturday with him, and later arranges for them to have lunch with his father and Stephanie before going to the Museum of Natural History. After leaving the museum, Altschuler tells Davy that he does not think that anything wrong happened between them. Davy suggests that if they made out with girls, they might not have to think about it anymore. They talk about growing old and how they do not want to be like their parents. Davy says he would rather be like his grandmother, as he respected her, and that this was also how it was with Fred. Altschuler says it was the same with Larry. The boys decide that they will now try to respect each other.