At first a familiar, whimsical account of a New Yorker adjusting to small-town life, inquisitive neighbors, and their private ambitions as well as their heartbreaks, the later portion of the novel darkens when an event alters the course of several characters' lives -- a shift that places Flannery O'Connor in a position of self-inflicted guilt that fans of the author may find too speculative. Readers familiar with Southern Gothic novels may also find the darkness in this one does not reach similar depths; still, the novel presents a redemptive conclusion after several difficulties, and the peacock imagery woven throughout serves the story beautifully.