The Environment

This blog log is dedicated to the environment in the novel and when thinking of the environment the first word that comes to mind is mist. The mystery of the book makes the environment seem cold, dark, dusky and foremost misty. The environment itself is seldom described with adjectives that clearly suggest that that is the case. In the following quote Nora describes the house she lives in. She calls it the farmhouse;

My mom and I lived in a drafty eighteenth-century farmhouse on the outskirts of Coldwater. It’s the only house on Hawthorne Lane, and the nearest neighbors are almost a mile away. I sometimes wonder if the original builder realized that out of all the plots of land available, he chose to construct the house in the eye of a mysterious atmospheric inversion that seems to suck all the fog off Maine’s coast and transplant it into our yard. The house was at this moment veiled by gloom that resembled escaped and wandering spirits. (Hush, hush. 2009. Becca Fitzpatrick, p.18)

The quote above shows one of the most clear and vivid descriptions of the environment in the entire book. Mostly the author describes the environment in the actions; therefore the picture of the environment is built in the mind as the actions go along. Generally that makes it less obvious that it actually is a description. It also makes the book move along in quite a fast pace. It’s clear in the following quote that the description comes suddenly and in the middle of an action;

The library doors were unlocked, and I fumbled my way inside. Past the bookshelves, at the far end of the library, were three small study rooms. They were soundproof; if Elliot wanted to isolate Vee, the rooms were an ideal place to put her. (Becca Fitzpatrick, p.355)

The Farmhouse was mentioned earlier. The farmhouse is a good example of the choice of words that the author uses. Instead of using the word “home”, “the house” or “my house” for Nora’s home she uses “the farmhouse”. It is a constant reminder that the house isn’t just a normal house but that it actually is a farmhouse. Those small details make a big difference in the novel because it makes the descriptions of the environment more vivid.

The place that is easiest to envision is mostly the coastline, and the coastline is also one of the places that clearly contributes to the feeling of mist and darkness. As seen in the following quote;

Minutes later we were on the coastal highway, driving right along a cliff just above the ocean. I’d been this way before, and when the sun was out, the water was slate blue with patches of dark green where the water reflected the evergreens. It was night, and the ocean was smooth black poison. (Becca Fitzpatrick, p. 277)

This log have only covered the environment surrounding the characters, what about the actual characters? Tthe characters are more well-described than the environment, well-described meaning that the descriptions often is much more clear, for example the author uses more adjectives when describing a person, as seen in the following quotations; “His scent, which was all damp dark earth, overwhelmed me. (Becca Fitzpatrick, p.126)

The ball was in his court – I’d smiled, and look how well that turned out. I wrinkled my nose, trying to figure out what he smelled like. Not cigarettes. Something richer, fouler. Cigars. (Becca Fitzpatrick, p.11)

I tugged on matchstick jeans and ballet flats. I wrapped a Hally-blue silk scarf around my waist, up over my torso, then tied the ends behind my neck to fashion a halter-style blouse. I fluffed my hair, and there was a knock at the door. (Becca Fitzpatrick, p.224)