Lori and Eric Poole travel through much of New England in Tenderness, with the prison for juvenile criminals, Eric Poole's aunt's house, and parks being the principal locations for the novel's action. Eric Poole, as the institution's lone murderer, is housed on a floor separate from the one where other inmates are incarcerated. He keeps himself aloof from the other inmates, so he knows something is amiss when he sees another young man on his floor. While Poole is not characterized as a model prisoner, he does seem to stay out of trouble until he passes juvenile status, is released with a clean slate, and assumes the privileges of a free adult. He is periodically interviewed at the prison by Lieutenant Proctor, a specialist in serial killings who is worried by Eric Poole's utter lack of remorse for the murders of his mother and stepfather.

These interviews are...