Tims Creek

Tims Creek is the town in North Carolina where almost all of the stories in the collection are set. Even if the stories are not set immediately in Tims Creek, the protagonists all possess a connection to the small coastal southern town. In "When We All Get to Heaven," for example, though the story is set in New York City, Ed Phelps grew up in Tims Creek, and his memories transport him back in time to images and scenes from the town. Similarly, in "I Thought I Heard the Shuffle of Angels' Feet," though Cicero has not lived in Tims Creek for many years, when his car breaks down on the way back to Washington, D.C., he is forced to spend the night in his hometown, an experience which spurs his character towards change.

Though the narrators of If I Had Two Wings do not spend...