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If you have been paying attention to the books I've done, then you'd know that Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon was actually the first book I'd done. It was only a brief overview but I have read it again since then and we're taking a closer look at the characters.
First: the obvious choice, the protagonist, Noa. Basically, stereotypical realistic-fiction modern style here. Noa is an amnesiac, or somewhat so, given that the book starts off with [again] a stereotypical wake-up-on-a-cot-with-no-recent-memory. The past few weeks are gone for Noa Torson. Even better, it's in a cold hospital with no apparent identity, "This wasn't like any hospital she'd ever seen [...] Looking down, Noa discovered that she was wearing a cloth gown, but there was no hospital name stamped on it. Not juvie, and not an official hospital." (Gagnon 2) This, along with the other first 5 pages, is all the beginning setting-analytic jargon found in virtually every novel you will ever read.
As you will notice, much of Noa Torson is characterized within the first ten pages. It can be noted that she obviously has some degree of sarcasm or carries an ironic mood, "'It won't work' he said. [...] He dropped hard, knocking over boxes on the way down. He didn't get back up. 'I hate negativity' she muttered." (Gagnon 6) Noa Torson seems to have this dry wit throughout the story, this being only one example. Hatred and negativity are synonyms, and to proclaim your own hatred of negative behavior is irony.
Another characteristic of Noa apparent in the first few pages is her adherence to violence. In response to seeing the first people since waking from amnesia, she adopts an aggressive answer to the situation: "In one smooth motion, Noa scooped the scalpel off the tray and pressed it against the side of his neck. [...] she said firmly, 'or I'm going to slit your throat.'" (Gagnon 4) This overly aggressive behavior is Noa's first response to the strange situation she's found herself in.
This is the beginning of the character analysis for Noa, and more is to follow.
Your blog post gave me ideas on what to write my post about- characterization of the main character. I really liked this post and this post tells a lot more about the main character and can even tell what parts of the book are important and what are not. For example, if the character changes becasue of one event, then you know that the event is significant in the book for whatever reason.
ReplyDeleteNice job adding voice to your post. This makes the book sound more interesting. I like books with a lot of suspense, and this sounds like a good option.
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