Revisiting the first pages

[quandmeme]

The first time I heard South Coast, I spent the first quarter thinking that Richard was as abusive as Sara's future husband.

there is (1) the name Kroog, (2) the opening quotation from "ancient lit" about unhappy families: there's normal parameter teen kids, and then there's the unhappy family. Otto has a loving supportive community and parents, its a major curve ball. (3) The line about smiling despite what one's father had _done_ to one that morning is really the clincher. I'm stalling on Captain's share with South Coast and just listened to that opening again. It seems like the abbreviated time frame of NaNoWriMo saw an early change in tone and the setup for the abuse got left in. I will continue not to get the place of the Tolstoy, but Nate, could you explain/lighten up the "what you father did to you that morning" line before you go to print/remaster/TV mini series?

[nlowell]

You're talking about

"Otto smiled back in spite of himself. It was impossible to not smile back at Red, no matter what your father had done to you earlier in the day. “You're most welcome, of course, Red,” he replied. “Any chance I can go out with you next trip?” he asked hopefully."


Um, this was probably nothing more than "asked him to take the trash out." Otto is an angsty teen who starts out seeing the world as terribly unfair because he wants to be a fisherman and his father wants him to carry on the family tradition in the shaman-business.

[Laith]

Um, this was probably nothing more than "asked him to take the trash out." Otto is an angsty teen who starts out seeing the world as terribly unfair because he wants to be a fisherman and his father wants him to carry on the family tradition in the shaman-business.

Obviously Nate is the authority here but I didn't read abuse into the sequence, certainly nothing near the level of the future spouse.

On a side note I'm guessing that Otto is mostly or completely out of the picture by the time Sara gets married, I can't see him standing for that.