Fourteen year old Dave Ryan is living with his mother after she split with his father. They are making a home for themselves in the place his mother grew up, his late grandmothers house. Along with that they are establishing a new garden, his mother has employed Gene Tole, a young and handsome horticulturalist to design and plant the garden. Gene in turn enlists the help of young Dave, encouraging a budding interest in plants. But it encourages a lot more too, for Dave sees in Gene everything is father is not, a thoughtful, gentle and caring man, and a real friend.

Ryan relates events that cover less than a year as the garden is established, we observe him try to understand his growing love for Gene, and come to terms with his feelings for his cold and distant father, and his older brother. It is a gentle story that could easily end in tragedy were it not for the tolerant attitude of the young Dave as he makes a startling discovery about Gene on the eve of Gene's departure for a new job, a discovery which will surely be the making of the young man.

What I Know Now is a beautifully told story that convincingly manages to see life from the perspective of a growing boy. It is a occasionally funny, often witty, always warm and involving, it is above all a most delightful story. ( )

It’s 1957 and fourteen year old Dave makes friends with Gene Tole, his mother’s gardener. He has special feelings for him, but does not understand them until later. Abusive father.