You are the new cop’s son in a time of escalating violence.

(from The Turning)

Cool story about a kid growing paranoid and afraid, and with good reason. Unexplainable acts of violence are described in quick, matter-of-fact sentences. Some characters, like the boy, act out of duty, others without seem to do things without reason, or with reason just beyond they boy’s comprehension. It’s hard to say whether things are actually escalating or the boy is simply growing up and noticing.
Some readers cannot stand second person, and I know where they’re coming from, but it didn’t bother me here. In “Long, Clear View,” all the you-use felt like a smart, warm way to describe the main character’s increasing awareness and confusion. Winton’s an Australian author, and his occasional use of terms unfamiliar to me were also welcome and effective. The meanings could be determined by context, and they added to the sense of authenticity, that I was in another place.