Kevin is an artist who has been working on a painting for a long time that he won't let anyone see. He wants to be sure nobody EVER sees it and tries to arrange a system by which it will be destroyed when he dies. In this "present day" scenario, Kevin lives with his wife Linda and their two kids in what seems like an overall happy family existence. Another part of the book follows a 1979 visit by Kevin and his friend to El Salvador in search of the friend's brother. The country is falling into civil war and the trip is engulfed in fear and tragedy. They help dig a grave for a little girl who has been killed by the military. The horror of what they witness affects Kevin and the trip also leaves him with another personal secret that makes him question the very basic of his personality. In a third time, 10 years prior to the "present day," Kevin is in Paris for an art opening and has a brief affair with a much younger woman. He admits to himself during this fling that he has never loved his wife Linda but instead was looking for a place to exist when they married. He believes he loves this young French woman and at the same time, Linda is in the States worrying that Kevin has started drinking again. I've done a mediocre job here of summarizing the book but I enjoyed it very much. Everett has a way of making us feel we really understand Kevin's inner workings. I'm inclined to praise Everett's writing and ability to make us want everything to be all right with Kevin while we satisfy our voyeuristic tendencies while watching him veer towards becoming a train wreck.
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