A Commonplace Blog

"Magic Child looked out the window at the Columbus River. There was a small boat on the river. Two people were sitting in the boat. She couldn't tell what they were doing. One of the people was holding up an umbrella, though it wasn't raining and the sun wasn't shining either."

This book seems nonsensical, and the characters are wholly absorbed in themselves. The consequences of their actions, such as plotting to kill someone or spending time in a whorehouse, don't affect them at all. They float on through life, without some sort of pattern or meaning. This is exemplified by the metaphor in this passage. The people observed by Magic Child are synonymous with Greer and Cameron- floating through life, not making sense, and not knowing what it is they are doing.