The sun was rising over Moat County, Florida, when Sheriff Thurmond Call was found on the highway, gutted like an alligator. A local redneck was tried, sentenced, and set to fry. Then Ward James, hotshot investigative reporter for the Miami Times , returns to his rural hometown with a death row femme fatale who promises him the story of the decade. 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.