Joel Harrison Knox is the narrator and protagonist of the story. Joel's mother dies when Joel is twelve years old, and because Joel's father is not part of his life, Joel moves in with his aunt Ellen and her five children. Even though Aunt Ellen loves Joel, Joel never completely adapts to life in the household and exhibits behavioral issues. A day after Joel's thirteenth birthday, a letter arrives asking that Joel move to live with his father in a place called Skully's Landing somewhere deep in Louisiana. Joel's sense of order and his own sense of himself are tested when he is thrust in the middle of the lives of some very eccentric characters. During his time at the Landing, Joel learns that his father has been an invalid for many years and.....
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