The following version of this book was used to create this guide: Dubus, Andre, III. Such Kindness. W.W. Norton & Company, 2023.

Andre Dubus III’s Such Kindness is written from the first-person perspective. Dubus utilizes the present tense throughout the novel, although he narrates several flashbacks in the past tense.

In the opening chapter, Tom Lowe Jr. steals trash from Mike Andrews, a wealthy banker who gave Tom a risky adjustable rate mortgage. After Tom fell off a roof while working as a carpenter, he became addicted to painkillers. He and his wife, Ronnie, lost their home; Ronnie, after beginning an affair with another man, eventually divorced Tom, who subsequently moved into public housing in Amesbury, Massachusetts. Tom, along with his neighbor Trina and her new boyfriend Jamey, steals the Andrews’ trash in the hope of committing convenience-check fraud. They fail, however, to find any convenience checks in the Andrews’ trash.

Tom often turns to alcohol as a balm for his chronic pain; he sells his EBT cards for cash to afford the alcohol. He considers his son, Drew, who attends college in western Massachusetts and will soon turn twenty. Tom’s car has recently been impounded, and he hopes to retrieve his car in order to visit Drew for his birthday. He remembers his early relationship with Ronnie, and often thinks of the home that he built for them.

With the help of his neighbor Fitz, Tom attempts to sell his carpentry tools online. Tom often worries about Trina, a single mother. He recalls his own failures as a father; he often enlisted Drew to help him buy opioids. A man agrees to buy Tom’s tools, but someone steals them before Tom can sell them. Because he does not own a phone, Tom calls the police from a nearby salon; there, he meets the no-nonsense owner, Dawn. Tom files a police report, noting that he suspects Fitz stole the tools. After Trina’s ex-boyfriend Brian hits her, Tom elbows Brian in the face. Later, Brian returns and viciously attacks Tom.

Tom soon learns that Larry, the owner of the local liquor store, has died. Fitz visits Tom and claims that he did not steal his tools. Tom, angry that Fitz sells drugs, kicks him out. Tom attends Larry’s funeral and tells his widow that Larry’s generosity and respect meant a great deal to him. On the way home, he has a connective conversation with the Vietnamese-Cambodian cab driver. These interactions bring a sense of change into Tom’s life. He goes to Trina’s apartment and notes with disapproval that she and Jamey have been stealing more trash.

One morning, Tom witnesses an accident outside his apartment. He helps the young mother, Caitlin, who was involved in the accident. On Drew’s birthday, Tom again borrows Dawn’s phone so that he can call Ronnie and ask for their son’s phone number. Ronnie tells him that Drew drinks too much and suffers from depression. His son does not respond to his phone call.

Tom, continuing his streak of kind acts, visits an elderly neighbor. He later shares dinner with a new couple in the housing complex; he learns that they have a son who uses drugs. Tom finds out that Jamey and Trina have successfully cashed a series of convenience checks. Jamey comes to Tom’s apartment, and Tom discourages him from committing further fraud. Tom falls asleep, but Dawn wakes him and tells him that Drew is in the hospital; Ronnie has called her. Tom returns Ronnie’s call and learns that Drew had alcohol poisoning the previous evening. Tom rushes to Jamey, who agrees to drive Tom to Amherst, Massachusetts.

In Amherst, Tom learns that Drew has been discharged from the hospital. He visits his son’s house, which he shares with other college students. He finds an angry, unsent email on Drew’s computer. Jamey, who cashed a stolen check at a bank in Amherst, realizes that he left his ID at the bank. Jamey receives a call from Trina in Amesbury, who tells him that Brian hit her and her daughter, Shannon. As they drive away, police vehicles surround Jamey’s car and arrest him and Tom.

As he awaits his appearance before a judge, Tom writes letters to Ronnie’s parents (from whom he attempted to steal) and his brother. He feels a sense of deep peace and understanding in the holding cell. He soon falls ill and, after appearing in court, returns to Drew’s house. Drew eventually returns, accompanied by Ronnie. Tom openly explains his situation to them and proceeds to apologize. Ronnie drives him back to Amesbury; he continues to apologize in a candid and honest manner. Ronnie calls her new husband, who agrees to help Tom and Jamey with their legal issues.

Back at the public housing complex, Trina tells Tom that Shannon moved out. Tom, hoping to comfort Trina, sleeps on her couch that night. Brian arrives in the middle of the night and attempts to attack Trina; Tom quickly jumps on him, thus seriously injuring himself.

In the epilogue, Tom attends physical therapy. Drew visits him in the facility. Tom accepts that he must integrate his experience of chronic pain into his self-conception. Dawn begins to train Trina to be a hairstylist. A judge dismisses Tom’s case; Jamey receives jail time. In the final paragraph, Tom watches over Trina’s children while Trina trains with Dawn.