Getting Near to Baby takes place one day on the rooftop of a house while the main character relates events leading up to and following the death of Baby. The narrative is original and non-linear. Furthermore, this distinctive narrative is significant in bringing many of the characters' dimensions and facets to light. Although the novel takes place over the course of a single day, the reassured pace which is neither swift nor too slow allows time for the characters to become rounded and creates the ideal atmosphere of a summer day.

The story is told simply in short evocative sentences. This poetic brevity ultimately allows for questions and their answers to appear all at once. An example of this could be the following: "Aunt Willa is fed up with me." This is the first sentence of the novel, and simply by reading it the following presuppositions...