Recognized by critics for his development as an artist and experimentation with form, Cheever is adversely noted for the tremendous consistency of style and structure in his stories. An extremely descriptive writer, Cheever possessed a remarkable ability to create a sense of character and place. He repeatedly demonstrated a technical discipline and control over his creativity while producing an intimate, concerned, and often disapproving tone toward his subject material. As a writer, Cheever presented a comic vision of the world circumvented by nostalgia, irony, and ominous tension.

Ranging from simplistic sketches to well-developed narrative, Cheever's stories present numerous shifts in point of view. Whether speaking as an omniscient narrator, a twelve-year-old child, or directly to the audience as himself, Cheever created a common language to communicate his observations and ideals. In addition, he developed extremely likable characters demanding sympathy and respect and unlikable characters worthy of scorn and...