Entrapment

Through descriptions of her characters Cece, Jimmy, Bud, and Enid's personal lives, the author explores the complex and nuanced nature of entrapment. Though the three boys and Enid never interact in person, their stories inform one another via their proximity on the page. All of the characters are connected because they live in the same insular community. They are also linked via their shared connection to Mr. Willens, and the secrets surrounding his death.

Before the boys discover the car in the river, however, the author describes Cece, Jimmy, and Bud's relationships to their town and their families in order to illustrate their desire for freedom and agency. As the boys make their way down to the Jutland to swim, their demeanors change. Their movement towards the water is defined by "hoots and howls," by "jumping, dallying [and] splashing" (11). They are filled with life because they...