Perspective

Hoover's perspective is that of a world-weary urbanite-turned-naturalist, who has thrown off the shackles of a mechanized and clock-and-calendar world. There is a sense that she has not chosen a new lifestyle so much as she has escaped her old one. The early portions of the novel concern themselves with the Hoovers' gaining a foothold in their new lifestyle with the perspective being inflected by the need for safety and stability. As the story evolves, the focus shifts to one of cleansing as the Hoovers rid themselves of the last vestiges of their previous mindset.

Naturalism is presented as a more genuine way of being, something more akin to how mankind was intended to live. Civilized life is characterized as having a once-removed quality that insulates mankind against negative consequences. In Chicago, the Hoovers functioned as cogs in a machine as their talents serve as means to a...