As the news of the abdication crisis becomes a topic of international conversation[1] and the children play newly invented board game, Monopoly,[2] Mr. Schroeder becomes increasingly dependent upon alcohol, which leads to a gradual breakdown in his marriage.

Both Teddy and his younger sister, Bean, overhear late-night arguments, with their mother on one occasion asking her son to hide the car keys in bed with him, only to have Mr. Schroeder enter the room, drunk, and beg for their return.

[4] The grieving family leave New Jersey, and return to live with Teddy's maternal grandmother, Dan, in Pittsburgh, where they prepare to celebrate Christmas together without their father, and in the midst of growing financial uncertainty.

[9] Noting that the author began composing The Wizard's Tide in the months following his mother's death in 1988, Brown writes that it 'should be read as an important moment in Buechner's self-analysis'.

[14] Buechner's discussion of these subjects in a work intended for young adults caused it to be initially rejected by 'two'[15] publishing companies, who felt that such 'adult themes'[16] were unsuitable for the target audience.