Ward's story gets cut short when he is badly beaten by two sailors, so his flamboyant partner, Yardley Acheman, steps in to finish the piece, and in the process adds a few fictional details. Told through the eyes of Jack, Ward's younger brother, we see this engrossing story unfold as the emotionally stifled Ward grapples with his long-hidden desires, and the unsavory side of newspaper journalism is starkly exposed. With clarity and an amazing capacity for simplicity of language and down-home metaphor, Dexter weaves a tale that exposes the extremes of goodness and nastiness that exist in newspaper life. The story goes on to record many losses.
Water is a powerful image throughout the book.
Jack swims as a means of healing, Ward dies in the ocean, and Jack distinctly recalls that he has never seen his father wet. Discuss how each character is defined by his relationship to water. Discuss the similarities between Ward and Charlotte that drive them to connect with destructive people, Yardley and Hillary Van Wetter respectively. Two generations of reporters are portrayed in this story. Throughout the book, W.W. is disturbed by his disintegrating family, but there is evidence that he is to blame for his isolation.