 An omniscient narrator moves through a seemingly idyllic Midwestern town relating the often dark and violent histories of various sociological groups which populate the metropolis.He speaks as both a representative of the city, definitively summing up its residents' collective views on life, and as a biased observer, subtly commenting on those views.In an indictment on small-town life, he points out the city's arrogant insularity and refusal to acknowledge the darker elements of its past.