"[7] The 13 stories are mostly set in and around Portland, Maine, involving characters affected by tragic experiences past and present.

[9][10] The 11 stories set in the fictional town of Vaughn in central Maine are linked by geography and tone,[5][11][12] with "weary, complicated souls" of all ages.

[17] The New Yorker said, "The narrators of Brown’s second book of stories are mostly watchers—witnesses to sordid events in the fictional town of Vaughn, Maine.

Some of the stories deal with Maine’s twin preoccupations with boats and lumber, but the strongest anatomize the town with stunning emotional precision."

The Wrong Jason Brown The New Yorker [1] Rule Breakers, co-written with Bill Guttentag, theatrical release in March of 2025 Brown previously taught creative writing at Stanford University as a Jones lecturer,[4] and at the University of Arizona's creative writing MFA program.