Whereas one, the narrating Neil Countrymen, goes into a regular profession, the other, John William Barry, goes off to live away from society. Neil, having given up his dreams of becoming a writer and doing the next best thing - teaching literature -, goes to visit John William regularly, bringing supplies and reading material. He is persistent even when his friend chides him for being a loyal citizen of what he refers to as 'Hamburger World' and he keeps going after marrying and becoming a father. Neil even goes as far as helping John William go off the grid by driving his car down south to have people believe that he disappeared in Mexico. His only confidant over the years is his wife Jamie and the two are the only people that know the truth of where John William is.
Over time Neil notices his friend withering away, becoming skinnier and more and more unkempt. But instead of giving his location up to authorities so that he can get some proper (if unwanted) help, he only ever suggests John William return to society on his own account. This, of course, he never does. One day, Neil comes to where his friend lives to find his body. He wraps him up in a mat and puts him in a cave the two have dug into the limestone years before. It is only years later that human remains are discovered and identified as John William.
Neil expects to get blamed for keeping secrets or hiding the body but what he surprisingly gets, instead, is an inheritance of $ 440 million, making him the nineteenth richest person in Washington State. The story is told in flashbacks after the fact and touches not only on the troubled mind of John William but also on his parents' ineptitude and the guilt that both, Neil and John William's father, feel about having failed.
No exciting things happen in this novel, yet it is an intriguing read. Beauty and serenity rather than flashy story.
7/10
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