Poetic, Extremely Specific
Joseph Conrad wrote "The Secret Sharer" at a time when film was on the verge of taking over popular culture. And you can see just how much he tries to recreate the experience of film by helping us picture his setting and characters as clearly as possible. Just check out this opening line:
On my right there were lines of fishing stakes resembling a mysterious system of half-submerged bamboo fences, incomprehensible in its division of the domain of tropical fishes, and crazy of aspect as if abandoned forever by some nomad tribe of fishermen now gone to the other end of the ocean; for there was no sign of human habitation as far as the eye could reach. (1.1)
Throughout the book, you'll constantly get references like "On my right" or "three feet in front of me" because Conrad wants to be as clear as possible about how the action of his story is taking place and what imaginary "angle" he wants you to watch it from.