Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.
Exposition
Gabriel is Dying to Tell Us a Story
We start at the very end. Or near the end of Gabriel's life, at least. He's on his deathbed at the ripe old age of twenty, ready to tell us a story. We're pulled in immediately, asking a zillion questions like: What was missing? Where has it been found? Why must Gabriel be cleaned? Little do we know (at this point) that the answer to all of these questions will take us the entire book to figure out, and by the time we get our answers, well, we'll just have more questions.
Rising Action
Finnigan Befriends Gabriel
Our first complication comes when Finnigan arrives in town, ready to cause trouble. He befriends Gabriel, and it's not long before the pair are swapping stories and making pacts. One such agreement? Finnigan will only do bad stuff, while Gabriel will stick to angelic behavior. Sure, sounds great, right? Gabriel can have Finnigan do all his dirty work for him. If you've been around the block at all, though, you know this is going to cause a big problem. Secret pacts with the devil always do. (Come to think of it, non-secretive pacts with the devil cause trouble, too.)
Climax
E is for Evangeline… and Envy
Finnigan is envious of Gabriel's close relationship with Evangeline, and Gabriel worries about what his so-called friend will do to her. Sure, he wishes they were more than friends, but he's too nervous to do anything about it. Finnigan, on the other hand, is pure evil, remember? And totally not willing to share Gabriel. And since he knows that Gabriel has the hots for Evangeline, Gabriel worries that Finnigan might hurt her.
Gabriel goes to Evangeline's house to warn her, but it doesn't do much good, and she just doesn't get what he's so scared about. This is our turning point, because it's the first time we see Gabriel take action against Finnigan… but it won't be the last.
Falling Action
Lizzie Borden Ain't the Only One Who Hates Her Parents
Gabriel gets sick of his parents bugging him all the time, and the last straw is what happens with his dog, Surrender. He doesn't think it's fair for his dad to make him shoot his dog over stealing some livestock—he is a dog, after all—and after getting dragged home from Evangeline's house, Gabriel snaps and kills both of his parents with a hatchet. We start to question whether Gabriel is the angel he pretends to be—remember, he killed his brother, too. The threads are unraveling a bit here, making room for a new picture to emerge.
Resolution
Gabriel Finishes Finnigan
Finally Gabriel realizes that the one way to get rid of Finnigan for good is to kill himself. He's been working on dying for some time now, because he wants to do everyone a favor and destroy Finnigan. And as the pair meets for the final time, it dawns on us: These bad boys aren't best friends… they are the same person. That's why Gabriel has to kill himself in order to kill Finnigan. It's creepy and twisted, but it also brings a sense of resolution for us, and for the town. And hey, at least there won't be any more fires.