The Mystery of Suspense
What is it that after all these years that can keep a reader glued to a novel? What is it that keeps the pages of a novel flipping? What is it that can make an hour seem like ten minutes? The answer is suspense: each novel of this genre constantly repeats the same steps over and over, yet each novel is entirely different at the same time. The Summons by John Grisham is a suspenseful mystery. The suspense within the novel is created through the anticipation of the reader, action involving the main character, as well at threats and blackmail usually directed towards the main character. In order to maintain suspense throughout a novel the writer must follow a set of rules. One of which requires the author to cause anticipation for the reader. John Grisham does this in his suspense-thriller novel The Summons he makes the reader feel nervous, but at the same time curious about what is going to happen. These tricky ingredients are what concoct anticipation. Grisham uses these ingredients in his novel when the main character is moving money from his car to his apartment and runs into a gang: "As he entered the parking garage, he saw something that terrified him. At the far end of the mall passing under a street lamp, was a g
Concealment of assets may constitute tax fraud. Martin Gage Criminal investigator (Grisham 245)With the use of this letter Ray becomes temporarily concerned, until he discovers that the note is fake. murder is often involved" (genreflecting 63) Grisham sticks fairly close to this law within his writing. Grisham uses both of these aspects of blackmail. Grisham uses this tactic when Ray gets sent a notice in the mail: "It would be a mistake to spend the money. Grisham's other tactic to arouse suspense within a reader is letting the reader's mind do some of its own thinking. In order for an author to write an intriguing, page flipping, eye gluing suspense novel, he or she must follow certain rules that lay the building blocks of suspense. Does suspense truly get created within the literature of the novel, or is it all within the mind of the reader?. The final rule for creating a good suspense novel states that there must be something that keeps the reader concerned and nervous for the main character: "Suspense novels often have an undertone of unease, of nebulous threats" (Classic crime fiction) Grisham manages to make the reader feel this sensation for the latter part of the novel. In this excerpt alone, Grisham causes the reader to worry and to anticipate what will happen, and in doing this he creates suspense. Another method through which he accomplishes this is when Ray finds a picture of the storage room he rented to store the money: "For a moment, he couldn't think, breath, feel, hear. So with the proper addition of action, the suspense will be heightened and will cause the reader to become more enticed by the novel because it causes them concern for characters they care for. " It began with a brick through the window, a blast that rattled the old house.
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