But Barclay's lovely fourth book is something else again. In the distance, over a hill and along the horizon, a glorious shade of blue and then green. The lake and the far shore. But there are more urgent concerns involved.
Life demands a midlife career change.
Young Linwood assumes his share of tasks from the start. One of his earliest jobs is to empty a leaky metal bucket of innards from the fishermen's daily catch and bury its contents in the woods. One day I was carrying the can by the handle past the office when, with a bit of a splurrsshhh, the bottom of the bucket gave way and its contents spilled out onto the gravel roadway. Guts, eyes, fins, bones, and a piscatory ooze spread out before me, taking my breath away. As he grows older, Barclay's responsibilities expand.