I glance up at the picture of the brown-skinned boy on the wall behind Principal Merritt’s desk and frown. In the first four pages, there’s only one hint of backstory. Backstory Through Traditional MethodsĪlston starts his novel fully in the present, with the main character, Amari, in trouble at school. Fortunately, Alston gives a masterclass in how to provide readers with the information they need when they need it, through slow and big reveals using both traditional and creative techniques. No reader wants a big info dump at the beginning of the book to set the stage. In this post, I’ll concentrate on one specific thread: Amari’s brother and his mysterious job and equally mysterious disappearance. In Amari and the Night Brothers, Alston has multiple threads that require information from the past. It’s an inventive, fast-paced adventure fantasy. I highly recommend reading the novel before you dive into this analysis. Alston is an excellent mentor text for how to interweave backstory, using multiple techniques, without slowing down the story one bit.
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