Summary

“Welcome to Mars” introduces well-read Kirk Ullen on his nineteenth birthday. Mars is a surfside town in which Kirk and his father used to surf frequently together, although they have not been in a few years. The two take the family camper to the beach and Kirk recalls a family vacation around the United States in the same vehicle, his mother complaining constantly, his two sisters arguing with her, and his father attempting to keep the peace as Kirk tucked himself away inside his novels. Kirk’s father warns him that he will need to leave the water for about an hour to take some phone calls, and Kirk stays in the water surfing while his dad is away. After cresting a giant wave, Kirk tumbles into the ocean, his surfboard hitting him hard in the calf and...