Cape Cod Tales

As the title Cape Cod Tales indicates, Alexander Theroux's new work of fiction takes place in that early American destination-the windswept, sea-facing, hook-shaped peninsula of Massachusetts, the land of the "First Comers" in 1620. Set in the 19th century, it tells the tales of three fascinating but complicated natives, each of a different age, temperament, and profession: Horatio Rock, a photographer from West Barnstable; Austin Paper, of Brewster, a teenage cook on the fishing vessel Bel...