Retrospection

The novel’s narrative and structure support the exploration of personal retrospection, specifically juxtaposing both the pain and benefits of such retrospection. The three central characters—Lincoln, Teddy, and Mickey—are in their mid-sixties, and they spend much of the novel reflecting on and investigating events from their youth. Most prominently, Lincoln attempts another investigation into Jacy’s disappearance, which occurred over 40 years prior. Lincoln occasionally experiences some resistance in his investigation, such as when Joe Coffin ominously warns, “If you could get to the bottom of this…find the truth about what happened forty-four years ago, that’s what you’d likely find. Bruised flesh. Broken bones” (128). In other word, Joe is alluding to the fact that the discoveries of such investigations may be unpleasant. However, Lincoln is driven by a need for the truth, and the novel ultimately highlights the value of truth over...