At the heart of the novel is the ongoing theme of Jago’s conflicted view of his father and their claustrophobic relationship. Wanting to admire this heroic figure that everyone else sees, but feeling aggravated by the fact that the real Marcus is not the loving father he wants him to be. Marcus, rugged and uncompromising, fisherman and proud skipper of the lifeboat. The relationship fractured completely after David, Jago’s younger brother is killed in a freak fishing accident. The family falls apart, Marcus retreats further into his head. Jago’s mother leaves and settles down with a man quite unlike their father. Jago himself dives deeply into a love affair with a young woman named Diane – a relationship that is destined never to last, but which will have consequences that continue to spiral around Jago for decades to come.
