I'm interested in Styron because he's from Newport News -- and since these three stories are set in the News, I'm looking for the book to be excellent!

The cover made it look like it would be evocative of the gentle and beautiful South -- but, being a postmodern American writer, of course Styron had to stick an ugly and obscene passage into each story.

The first account was about WWII in the Pacific, with shipmates telling tales about Russian women they encountered. It ended well (which is rare -- give the man kudos for that).

The second was my favorite: "Shadrach". A 90+-year-old colored man returns to the plantation where he was born and hopes to be buried there. Fabulous explication of ruined old Virginia families. Included a graphic vulgar scene to showcase how Madonna-like the overweight alcoholic half-breed, Trixie, really was.

The title story insulted one of my favorite places in the world, at the mouth of the James River, and showcased sociopathic values. The only good parts were a few lines of banter between Paul's parents.

Can't remember exactly where I put this but it was most likely on the South side.