In the author's hometown of Lincoln, Illinois, 1922, we are introduced to a group of characters who are tethered to one another by one act or another. The novel opens up about the murder of Loyd Wilson, by his best friend Clarence Smith, who then commits suicde. We then learn little by little about why that happened, how they became friends, why they had a fall out, and where the narrator (who is not a central part of the murder) fits into the novel. 

A novel written with the backdrop of the open plains, tales of family scars, and a very well articulated writing style; William Maxwell takes us on a long, long journey in under 150 pages. This is a rainy day book if we've ever seen one.

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