Week 6 Responses

Reliable narration in Peter Orner’s “Spokane”

I think this was my favorite piece from this week. In my second story, I decided to work with a first person narrator, and “Spokane’s” narrator was deeply inspiring. Orner captures a very human voice in this story. What I loved most about it was that it was a story, told in a way that made me believe I was listening to it straight from Stace’s mouth. Orner accomplishes this by creating a narrator who is sure of her story, but not sure of herself. She constantly clarifies herself. For instance, on the second page she says, “He was tall. One of those tall guys who doesn’t know what to do with his height. The kind of guy that lanks around and apologizes for having to stoop through doorways except that Edward never apologized.” The beauty in this story lies in Stace’s narration of what happened when she discovered Edward’s body in the basement. This scene once again begins with her stating a fact, and then going on to clarify and describe what happened. When read aloud, it sounds like she’s trying to convince both her audience and herself of the facts of Edward’s suicide. It’s truly beautiful narration.