One aspect of craft that I really enjoyed in this story was how Bowe painted her characters to be “real” but not overdone. It reminded me a lot of the discussion we had last class about how one can achieve building characters and developing them without sounding cliche or archetypal. There was a consistent and subtle additions to characters in each page from the way they responded to their described body language. As the narrator of the story, I found this most noticeable with Libby. Although never described as reckless, sarcastic, traumatized, and maybe even a short fuse, it became evident to me in 14 pages that these characteristics fit her. They were conveyed in the ways she responded internally (or through dialogue) to Lawn Boys words or her brother, Eli. Bowe never intervened (or had to) with stating “this is what Libby is like” or “this is what Reid is like.” Even from the first page where we are given what each sibling spent their “death cash” on, the description alludes to what their character is like. As the reader, I could put the puzzle together myself from the pieces and breadcrumbs Bowe leaves us. It left me feeling closer to the characters because I could relate to them without it being forced or direct.
Journal #4 (WRT-312)
