Chapters 1-5

In the beginning of Chapter 1 the setting was described as very dark, dreary, bleak, and empty. The mood was very uncomfortable and awkward much like Kabuo Miyamoto who was also harsh and unemotional. He reminds me of a boy I know who attends my church; rigid, unattainable and seems to be really deep.
The town of Amity Harbour was described as lonely, empty, desolate, remote and makes me think of other books with other towns much like this. Ishmael Chambers who lives in this town, is the local reporter. He makes me think of my Pake on my mom's side. My old grandfather doesn't wish for change like Ishmael. He doesn't like random people intruding on his territory, family, and friends. Very much a stubborn man but with a pure and honest heart.
Art Moran was a strange man that you wouldn't think would be the sheriff, but he was. The uncomfortable man, along with Abel Martinson, the deputy, had uncovered the scene on the Susan Marie, consisting of Carl Heine's dead body in the netting; his haunting eyes shocked the younger deputy much as they would me. I am definitely too scared of blood to stay sane if I ever saw that.
In my opinion, I think the uncovering of the body was written impeccably well written with so many details that if I had nightmares, would leave me in a cold sweat when I woke up dreaming of it. When I read it I had so many pictures flowing through my mind; not necessarily a good thing as I am not good with blood and at the sight of it my heart clenches up, beats a little faster, and if there's a lot of it, I feel a little faint. In spite of my uneasiness with blood this bit in the book left me satisfied, not many authors can get my head going like that and fully relating to the circumstance.
Nels Gudmundsson; inquisitive and a rather good attorney despite the handicap of his eye, was the legal aid for Kabuo. In chapter 4 I get a better understanding of Ishmael Chambers, his cynicism coming from the war; his misunderstanding about people and why he couldn't like them; where his roots came from, and his background with Carl. The interaction of Ishmael and the fisherman gave an incredibly good description of the men. Lonely and rugged; out to support their families; knowledgeable with heavy opinions and very proud men.
Horace Whaley, a man sentenced to be the coroner was also a man of war like Ishmael. His experience gave him the qualifications necessary to be a coroner but left him with a heavy heart, full of disturbing images of men dead in battle that I have tried not to picture while reading this. I would have nightmares having this job. I would evolve from a girl who only dreams of random stuff or not even remembering the dreams to a woman with nightmares every night. Horace in his examination of Carl noticed a cut by his left ear that he thought was made by an experienced Japanese person such as Kabuo. In this point in the book I am not sure to believe if Carl just drowned or if he really was a victim of homicide.