One of NDiaye’s early novels, this is a strange and disorienting story. For me these horror tales set in rural areas are always pretty cringey for me, setting the small town weirdos against the more cosmopolitan vacationer that falls into a place and a culture that is to be feared. In this variation a vacationer stays beyond summer and is almost melted by the town's dull existence and weather after the disappearance of his wife and child. This is a book about identity, place and what it means to be an outsider that desperately wants to be seen and accepted no matter the cost. 

Maybe it is because I’m a rural girl, but the disturbing part of this story was not the small town weirdness, but the callous way the protagonist searches (or actually doesn’t search) for his family and his need to become part of the community, almost invading and trying to force his way into the society without offering anything in return. Something that many small towns in Oregon fear as the cost of living in the urban areas becomes so high and technology allows for more remote work… the contestant debate - does the possibility of a new tax base and outside dollars help or hurt a communities culture, identity and power structures.