Point of View

The story is told in first person point of view with Joey as the narrator. It is told in a series of stories, each taking place in a consecutive year during his annual trip to visit Grandma Dowdel. Joey is looking back as a very old man and does admit that distance and time have colored the stories and made them larger than life.

Setting

The book is set in a small town in southern Illinois. Most of the book takes place on or around Grandma Dowdel’s house, which is on the edge of town. The book is set during the Great Depression. The reader can see this effect on the town and the characters. Drifters pass through town searching for work. There is often a fear of foreclosure as townspeople struggle to pay their mortgages. The Great Depression also seems to keep the...