Jodell
asked
Bryn Greenwood:
Why did you choose a certain age frame for certain incidents to happen, instead of wating a few more year's? Is their a reason?
Bryn Greenwood
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[I'm guessing, though you don't say it outright, that this is a question about the fact that Wavy and Kellen's relationship becomes romantic when she is still a child and then sexual when she is barely a teenager. If that's what we're talking about, I feel like this question has answers on multiple levels, so I'll tackle the two angles that I think are most obvious.
Internal story logic: When Wavy reaches puberty at age 13, she has already absorbed a lot of lessons from the adult women around her, but foremost she has learned that keeping a man is linked to her attractiveness and her sexual availability. (Consider Liam's relationship with the women in his life--the ones he treats best are those who are most attractive and sexually available to him.) At puberty, Wavy is not only increasingly aware of her sexuality and her changing body, she is aware that Kellen is a grown man. Although she knows that he loves her non-sexually, she can't help but be concerned that she could lose him to a girl with a snake tattoo, or the woman who left perfume on his coat collar. She can't risk losing Kellen, so she feels the need to establish that she is a viable sexual partner.
Storytelling mechanics: Very many people--agents and editors--suggested that the book would be an easier sell if Wavy were "just a few years older." This might have been true, but in Kansas, the age of consent is 16, so making Wavy even two years older would completely change the narrative arc of the story. Imagine Aunt Brenda walking in on a 16-year-old Wavy and Kellen in the garage office. Awkward, but not illegal. Upon learning what has happened up at the farmhouse, Kellen and Wavy marry. Get custody of Donal. The murderer is caught. They all live happily ever after. Very different book.
(hide spoiler)]
Internal story logic: When Wavy reaches puberty at age 13, she has already absorbed a lot of lessons from the adult women around her, but foremost she has learned that keeping a man is linked to her attractiveness and her sexual availability. (Consider Liam's relationship with the women in his life--the ones he treats best are those who are most attractive and sexually available to him.) At puberty, Wavy is not only increasingly aware of her sexuality and her changing body, she is aware that Kellen is a grown man. Although she knows that he loves her non-sexually, she can't help but be concerned that she could lose him to a girl with a snake tattoo, or the woman who left perfume on his coat collar. She can't risk losing Kellen, so she feels the need to establish that she is a viable sexual partner.
Storytelling mechanics: Very many people--agents and editors--suggested that the book would be an easier sell if Wavy were "just a few years older." This might have been true, but in Kansas, the age of consent is 16, so making Wavy even two years older would completely change the narrative arc of the story. Imagine Aunt Brenda walking in on a 16-year-old Wavy and Kellen in the garage office. Awkward, but not illegal. Upon learning what has happened up at the farmhouse, Kellen and Wavy marry. Get custody of Donal. The murderer is caught. They all live happily ever after. Very different book.
(hide spoiler)]
More Answered Questions
Stranded
asked
Bryn Greenwood:
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[
Loved the book thoroughly ! The character wavy has some unique idiosyncrasies; like silence, good grasp on vocabulary, age inappropriate maturity and a different way of looking at things. How did you create her, Is the character based on any particular inspiration ? Is it possible she might have some autism spectrum traits ?
(hide spoiler)]
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