Under the Microscope
James McCreet puts a reader’s first 300 words under his forensic gaze
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It dawned on him1 while driving to work that he had semtex in his brain.2 Hearing but not listening to Jane, Greg and Alex babble and laugh,3 it struck him4 that only one thing would do the trick:5 change everything.6 He did not know if he had the courage to follow the revelation,7 but he knew where it came from.8
A few weeks earlier9 he’d settled down one evening to re-read his favourite novel10 but, responding to a disposition he did not understand and strangely did not want to resist,11 after half an hour he’d returned the unopened book to the shelves, thinking, ‘why read anything twice?’12
The car was now entering a small town.13 The babbling had given way to silence.14 He guessed what was on their minds: the imminent assembly and a lifeless, moronic talk from the Head, the sound of bells, registration and one debilitating period after another.15 He looked at the kids and the buses, all heading in the same direction,16 and another question detonated in his mind – why do anything twice?17 It was a crazy idea. It was insane.18 But a fuse had been lit,19 and like the fuse of lust or addiction, he knew it would be hard to extinguish.20 He parked the car and the quartet made its way21 slowly to the school entrance.