Abstract

A middle-aged husband and wife--both on second marriages--return to a dusty agricultural town in California, where they both grew up, against her wishes. They had been living on the Oregon coast where she was happy, and the change is detrimental to their relationship. The story, narrated by the wife, encompasses 24 hours, as she strolls through town re-experiencing her unhappy past there, and examines, archly, the issues about "family" and "place" that are central to relationships.