The Shipping News Chapter Summary & Analysis | Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Summary

Quoyle is a thirty-six-year-old man who's had a life difficult enough to result in his being adrift within it. This story tells about a few years in his life. He decides to move to Newfoundland, where his ancestors came from to start a new life. All of his life Quoyle had been considered a failure. He was a failure according to his father and his brother. He had a large round figure and felt like he had failed at looking normal. He had red hair, clear "plastic" eyes, and a large protruding chin.

By chance and dumb luck Quoyle ends up getting a job as a writer for the local newspaper thanks to the help of his friend Partridge, who happened to work there. Quoyle's first assignment was to cover a planning board meeting, which he did. After a few months Quoyle got fired from the paper and went to...
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