The introspective nature of the opening chapters reveals a man contemplative and steady, the latter attribute one he bitterly regrets. Waylon believes he has inherited a legacy of disappointing fathers, of men who’ve striven to be the best for their children only to fall cruelly short. It’s hauntingly familiar to any parent who’s ever wondered if they reared their children properly or if they secretly were no better than the parents they swore to outshine.
Waylon Joseph intrigues because of his inner life, the steady stream of thought that reveals him to be a man of many layers, complex, contradictory and moody. He loves his wife deeply but apparently betrayed her in a way that is unmentioned but which she has never forgotten nor forgiven. He’s sick of bailing his father out of trouble but steps into the role of the caregiver when the paterfamilias screws up once more.
But he’s not the only vivid personality in these brief chapters. Ms. Burns brings us the thoughts and emotions of other characters, people trying to make out how others behave and their own place within the confines of a small town. It’s a brief but dazzling encapsulation of humanity, the people so alive you expect them to step from the page and breathe in your ear.
Waylon Joseph intrigues because of his inner life, the steady stream of thought that reveals him to be a man of many layers, complex, contradictory and moody. He loves his wife deeply but apparently betrayed her in a way that is unmentioned but which she has never forgotten nor forgiven. He’s sick of bailing his father out of trouble but steps into the role of the caregiver when the paterfamilias screws up once more.
But he’s not the only vivid personality in these brief chapters. Ms. Burns brings us the thoughts and emotions of other characters, people trying to make out how others behave and their own place within the confines of a small town. It’s a brief but dazzling encapsulation of humanity, the people so alive you expect them to step from the page and breathe in your ear.