Stylistic Aspects

I am now a little over one hundred pages into my book and it is moving at quite a fast pace. I enjoy the pace of the novel as there are very seldom boring sections. Chappie and Russ are always getting into different adventures, which makes reading entertaining and intriguing. Of all the books I have read so far, this is the most difficult to put down. In this post, I am going to tackle Russell Banks' style approach in this novel.

To begin, Banks is an author whom is known to write about the struggles of ordinary, relatively impoverished characters and that is exactly what he does in this novel. Chappie lives in low-income family in New York City, and his mother is divorced and remarried to a step-father he does not like. After further research, it is understandable that Banks writes about this topic because it reflects his upbringing. Like Chappie, Banks grew up in a low-income family in a city (not New York City but Boston) and his father left his family when he was twelve.

Now, let's get into specific stylistic elements. The novel is written in the first person point of view and it is written in past tense. The story is told through Chappie, which allows the reader to better understand his feeling and internal thoughts. This style occurs throughout the novel but here is an example so you can get a better sense. At one point, Chappie says, "I was more than idly curious because in a way I was dependent on Russ... Russ was the same for me as his Camaro was for him, the only thing this side of total nothingness" (57). Sentences similar to this one are used very often and it is one of the most important elements of the novel because it allows the reader to have a good understanding of Chappie's thoughts.

Additionally, the story is written chronologically and in a style in which Chappie is both older and wiser and is now looking back on his youth. I did some research and learned that this is called a confessional novel. He often reflects and says things such as, "It was around this time that I started missing my mom again" (58) and makes confessions about certain situations saying things such as, " I did not take a whole lot of comfort from this" (75).

Unlike Margaret Atwood's use of sentence structure in The Handmaid's Tale, there is no specific sentence style in this novel. Sentences vary from very short to very long. The only detail I have noticed is that some sentences are very long and seem to be an English teacher's nightmare, run-on sentences. Banks utilizes motifs throughout the novel, including the use of drugs. However, he rarely uses allusions.

If I notice any changes or identify more stylistic elements as I continuing reading, I will be sure to elaborate in later blog posts. As of now, I am thoroughly as well as curious to see what is to come.