Small town tragedy told through four first-person accounts (a survivor, a cause (?), a victim, and a lawyer), each of which muddies the waters by misinterpreting the intents and natures of the other, by mucking up details, and by generally tossing about fistfuls of ambiguity. The characters are clear, though more could probably be done to separate their diction. Banks wrestles well with forms of grief, with the need for blame, with the secret lives we all live, and in the end with the way a community struggles to overcome broad tragedy.

After the overwrought near-mess of Banks' [b:Rule of the Bone|106133|Rule of the Bone|Russell Banks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348655289s/106133.jpg|226431] this was a welcome surprise.