Clues to recognizing and understanding the fractured psyche of a youngster named Charles appear very early on in his telling of what initially seems to be a charming childhood anecdote, and are scattered throughout his continuing narrative.
Through a series of childhood memories, recounted chronologically and in flashback, we follow Charles as he copes with events in his young life that add to the psychological damage. The story is told from the perspective of the boy at the time of the events.
The initial childhood traumas that led to his personality flaws can only be hinted at since they are prior to or erased from recollection, but by the time we first meet the young Charles, his major coping mechanism has been established. He likes to walk, take long walks, in which the percussive rhythm and his perceptions of speed and flight are therapeutic. He feels like he's flying, high and free. He has no thought of why that feels good. He has no concept of what is normal or what is not. If he could express it, he'd say, "It is what it is." But the astute reader will read much more into these walks and other coping mechanisms that are subtly revealed.
As we reach the conclusion of this story, the boy has come to a degree of enlightenment, but his journey to understanding continues.
