Before You Begin

Before you begin.

A newly married couple settles at a remote railroad camp in the western desert. Their nearest neighbor is Jack Crimi, an old friend whose kindness seems to offer welcome company in a hard, lonely place. Beyond the cabins, a ridge is known for its rattlesnakes.

Farnsworth Wright builds this tale from familiar things made uneasy: a letter, a gift, a cabin door, and the distance between neighbors. The open landscape gives the story room to breathe, while small domestic details make each new unease feel close at hand.

The illustrations follow those objects and places through the story, holding back its turns. Meet the characters as the narrative introduces them, and let the quiet details of the railroad camp set the pace.