The Pain Artist is a dark psychological novel about a young man who, after being abandoned and left homeless, is forced to move in with his invalid grandmother who lives in a gang-infested neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles. Crippled and in constant pain, he becomes a self-described Hikikomori (a Japanese term for young men who withdraw from society to live mostly on the internet). The novel explores the horrific challenges of today’s inner-city youth. From the chilling opening, to the existentially alarming conclusion, the reader is carried along with the protagonist on his journey of learning and self discovery.