Grief

The author uses his main character Jack's encounters with loss and trauma in order to explore the ways grief dictates how the individual sees himself and the world around him. At the start of the novel, Jack arrives at Kingfisher Lodge to start his new job as a fishing guide. In the early pages of the prologue, Jack's decision to take the job appears like his way to spend time in nature while pursuing what he loves and wants. However, by the end of the section, the narrator reveals that Jack's prevailing grief has inspired his relocation. While settling in to his cabin, he tries telling himself, "He didn't need to be on the ranch. Pop would be all right...when wasn't he? . . . Jack wondered if it had been different when his mother was alive. She had died in a horse accident when he was eleven...