He lives on a farm with his widowed mother and three uncles, who lovingly guide him as he discovers the larger world and navigates such events as the building of a new school, the illness of a friend, the coming of electricity. Earley's graceful narrative is simple but not simplistic, sweet but not sentimental. He remembers what it's like to be a kid and makes readers remember, too. Ondaatje's prose is powerful and poetic as he again looks at the past's influence on the present, the intersection of the political with the personal. By 1971, it's an empty house, but China Redd, who worked there for a half-century, is full of memories and stories she wants to tell before her death so as to set the record straight.
Peacock gracefully moves back and forth in time to spin a twisting tale of five generations.