Andy Catlett is nine years old when his Uncle Andrew is murdered and it destroys his sense of the order of things. Wendell Barry tackles the problem of truth and recollection as Andy Catlett gathers the details of this tragedy from the fragile memories of the townspeople. Tenderly, yet with directness, this short novel encompasses a changing way of life at the end of World War II. "Brilliantly detailed characters and subtle social observations distinguish Berry's unassuming but powerful fifth novel....This is simple, soul-satisfying storytelling". Publishers Weekly
"An elegiac celebration of the end of innocence....A sharp portrait of a small farming town nursing its secrets over several decades". Kirkus Reviews
Andy Catlett is nine years old when his Uncle Andrew is murdered, and the tragedy destroys his sense of identity and order. Still haunted by the death as an adult, Andy works to gather details of the tragedy from the fragile memories of family, neighbors, and friends.
