The narrative has five parts and is written in the present tense, with flashbacks. The framing action takes place in one day: August 14, the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven. The intent is ironic; Ellen has exhibited none of the saving graces of love and generosity attributed to the mother of Jesus.

Parts I, II, and IV are a series of interior monologues and narrations revealing the lives of the major characters. Parts II and IV present the stories of Ellen and Vincent. The fully-rounded portraits of these two characters give the reader a secure location from which to observe the terrain of the narrative. Other characters — even Dan and Camille, whom Gordon seems to care most about — appear in episodic glimpses. This technique is perhaps intended to suggest the fragmentation of their lives; but it often is an obstacle to the...