Independence Day is told by by Frank Bascombe, a former novelist with a real gift for observation. The book takes place over the span of only three days and shows an almost moment-by-moment awareness of Frank's life, thoughts, memories, and emotions during the Fourth of July weekend. The pace of Ford's prose is leisurely, and establishes a mood of unhurried deliberation from its first sentences. Ford is a master of capturing detail, and in preparation for the writing of the book spent a month driving around New Jersey and its environs dictating his impressions; these details of setting help to make the book seem an even more authentic tale of American life. Ford is recognized as a master of contemporary American realism, and his talent at rendering the fabric of our lives has never been used.....
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