Simon Everson Manigault lives with his mother, a somewhat eccentric college professor (known locally as the Duchess) on an isolated and undeveloped strip of South Carolina coast where they are regarded as displaced gentry by the awed denizens of Edisto. Convinced that her son can be an author of genius, the Duchess has immersed Simons in the literary classics since birth ("Like some kids swat mobiles, I was to thumb pages.") and has given him free rein to gather material in such spots as Marvin's R.O. Sweet Shop and Baby Grand, a funky black nightclub. ("It was an assignment. I'm supposed to write. I'm supposed to get good at it.")

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