Father-Son Relationships

The plot of this novel centers around the relationship between Crab and Jimmy Little. Crab is Jimmy's father, but he has been in jail most of Jimmy's childhood. Suddenly Crab has decided he needs to prove to his child that he is a good person who would never murder anyone. Crab escapes jail and takes his son to Arkansas so that one of his old criminal partners can tell Jimmy the truth.

The trip across country is a complicated one because of the odd relationship between father and son. Jimmy does not know what his role is in this relationship and Crab has had dreams of what this relationship should be and is disappointed when it does not prove to be what he has always thought it would be. These two men cannot figure out how to be with one another and the relationship eventually explodes in...