Independence Day | Techniques

Independence Day Techniques

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 to greater effect than in this work.

Although the action takes place...
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