Kelly is an instructor of literature and creative writing at two colleges in Illinois. In this essay, Kelly looks at Agee's use of geographical space.

James Agee's novel A Death in the Family is primarily, as its straightforward title indicates, about an emotional moment in a closed family unit including its surrounding relations. Agee's narrative travels from one point-of-view to another, giving his readers a range of perspectives, all used to show the void the death of Jay Follet, husband and father, creates. The book also travels through time, though that might not be a mark of Agee's artistry as much as it is the work of the editors who, after his death, wove outside material into the book. The story of Jay's death takes place across the span of just a few days, ranging from the night before it to a few days after, at his...