It is 1952, and Jack Lovett is telling Inez Victor about atom bomb tests, first in the islands of the Pacific, then in Nevada, and last of all in the Aleutians; Jack had witnessed all of them. Inez is a high-school student, and the two are seeing each other without her family's knowledge. Later, they will see each other in Jakarta in 1969 and in Honolulu in 1975. The last chapters of the story take place in 1975, when Vietnam is being evacuated.
This novel begins at the end and then fills in the beginning and the middle. The chronological flashing back and forth throughout the book sometimes makes it difficult to know exactly where the action is taking place, though the use of dates throughout helps.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 328 words. This
study guide contains 24,542 words (approx. 82 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Democracy Access Pass.
