Some readers may think of Harington's novels as "regional" literature because they are set primarily in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. But what constitutes a "regional" work? Are all of William Faulkner's novels that occur in a single county in the state of Mississippi "regional"? If not, why not? Are the novels of Philip Roth that deal mostly with American Jews who live in the northeastern states "regional" because they concentrate on the customs and language of a particular group of people as do Harington's novels?

What did you know about the Ozarks and the people who live there before you read one of Harington's novels? How do his works confirm or refute your knowledge of the area and its people? Is it significant that, for the most part, Harington's novels are set in a time before World War II? Dreams often play major parts in...