John Thomas Chiles

The Possum King John Thomas Chiles

The Possum King is set in the fictional town of Clayton, South Carolina, in 1974. The story revolves around the Bishop family as they await the return of family patriarch Frank Bishop, a career soldier who has been away at war in Vietnam. The story is told from the point of view of fourteen-year-old Marcus Bishop, who has grown to hate his father's cruelty and must now deal with the impact of his return. When a murder takes place in Clayton shortly after his father's return, Marcus finds himself thrust in the position of having to save his family from his father's long-buried past, which is explored through multiple flashbacks.