Grove's description of the Groat family's way of life is a picture of ill-educated people who manufacture and sell drugs and mistrust government and those who are outside their own extended family. Their isolationism can be traced back to their rebellious ancestors who fought alongside William Quantrill, whose cause was more for settling personal grudges than for the Confederacy.

The Groats are heavily armed and irresponsible. They have amassed an enormous arsenal, and they like frightening the townspeople by showing their guns and shooting in the public area of Kosh Woods. Grove shows how the second amendment right of legal gun ownership can sometimes be misused by criminals like the Groats and infringe on the rights of others, which culminates in Luke's tragic accident.

Grove sensitively handles the abuse issue. Never does she show a child being struck. Instead she shows abuse through Dustin's words. He...