Wreck the Halls: A Novel

“It was the same pattern as last time. The blackmailer contacted him out of the blue, no warning, and then immediately became persistent. His demands came on like a blitz, a symphony beginning in the middle of its crescendo. They left no room for negotiation, either. Or reasoning. It was a matter of giving this man what he wanted or having a secret exposed that could rock the very foundation of his family’s world.”

The use of metaphor, simile, and fragmentation capture the negative effect Fletcher Carr has on Beat’s psyche. The narrator compares Fletcher’s presence in Beat’s life to a military attack, which conveys his destructive impact. The image of Beat’s family as his foundation also captures his reliance upon Octavia Dawkins and Rudy Dawkins for stability. This establishes his fear of disrupting this familial dynamic.

“So many kinds of people and they all seemed to have one thing in common. They enjoyed company. None of them appeared to be holding their breath until they could leave. They didn’t seem to be pretending to be comfortable when in reality, they were stressing about every word out of their mouth and how they looked, whether or not people liked them. And if they did, was it because they were a celebrity’s daughter, rather than because of their actual personality? Because of who Melody was?”

The narrator describes Melody’s social unease using third-person plural pronouns. This linguistic choice conveys Melody’s reluctance to claim her discomfort and enacts her fear of being an outsider. The use of questions and italics further underscores how public settings unsettle Melody’s sense of self, establishing how she has room to grow in The Journey Toward Self-Discovery and Personal Growth.

“‘It’s not that I don’t want to, Mel. I can’t.’ He shook his head. ‘And it doesn’t matter anyway, because there is no way in hell that I’m going to attempt to reunite Steel Birds on a live stream, where I can’t control’—he seemed to bring himself even again with a slow breath—‘how it affects you. I won’t do that.’”

To convey his feelings to Melody, Beat uses expletives, pauses, and puts stress on particular words. These verbal mannerisms capture Beat’s desire to be open with Melody and to protect her well-being. His repeated use of negations, including “don’t,” “can’t,” “doesn’t,” and “won’t,” also conveys his refusal to compromise Melody’s safety.

“There he was. Running toward her through the reception area. In black athletic shorts and no shirt. Sweating. Sweating all over the place. Oh my God, she was looking at his nipples. Stop. Don’t look down, either. She had to stop herself from looking at those high cuts of muscle above his hips. Or the rivulet of perspiration dripping off the meatiest part of his left pec. Or that little peek of happy trail. Too late. She saw everything. She’d perused him like the specials menu.”

The narrator’s attention to physical and physiological details illustrates Melody’s intense sexual attraction to Beat. The narrator inhabits Melody’s consciousness in this scene and describes Beat’s appearance from her perspective. She therefore uses words like “running,” “sweating,” “nipples,” “cuts,” “muscle,” “hips,” “rivulet,” “perspiration,” “meatiest,” and “peek” to vividly describe this heated moment between Melody and Beat. Furthermore, the menu metaphor underscores the intensity of Melody’s physical draw to Beat.

“Whatever happened over the next nine days […] something was happening. Either she was kicking the beehive of their mother-daughter relationship, hoping to change it. Or she was finally taking steps toward cutting the purse strings.”

The use of elision, italics, and metaphor conveys Melody’s evolving state of mind and outlook on her life. The narrator likens Melody’s newly confident behavior to kicking beehives and cutting strings. These images establish Melody’s newfound ability to take risks to exercise her agency.

“I—I mean, I feel like I know him. That doesn’t mean anything, does it? A lot of people probably feel like they know Beat, because he’s so personable. When he looks at you, everything just kind of fades away […] yeah, everything just kind of fades away when he’s around, I guess. He’s kind and thoughtful and you’ve seen him. He’s […] beautiful.”

Melody’s stuttering, stressed, and syncopated speech patterns reveal her vulnerability. Melody is speaking honestly when she describes how she feels about Beat in her interview. Her use of language is uncalculated and thus conveys her authenticity.

“But two things were holding him back. One, he was keeping the blackmail a secret from her. Touching Melody without full honesty between them […] bothered him. A lot. And two, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold a goddamn thing back from Melody in bed. She wouldn’t just be another partner. There could […] no, there would be something deeper and more meaningful here than his usual hookup. He wasn’t even sure he knew how to let go with someone like that. Completely. Start to finish. Could he even go there considering the secret he was keeping from her?”

The narrator inhabits Beat’s consciousness to reveal his true thoughts and feelings. The narrator, in turn, employs the language Beat would use to authenticate Beat’s state of mind. The passage employs elision and fragmentation. It highlights Beat’s work to sort through his complex feelings and make sense of his developing relationship with and feelings for Melody.

“Talk privately. That’s what she was going to say. But…Oh no. A terrible idea occurred to her. Or perhaps, a glorious one. Saying it out loud was probably going to be a huge mistake. But it was one of those moments where the impossible seemed possible. This idea was the one chance to save humanity in the Avengers: End Game, as predicted by Doctor Strange. It might be their only hope of actually making this reunion happen and for some reason, maybe because she was currently looking a legendary rock star in the eye, Melody suddenly wanted very much to make the Steel Birds reunion a reality.”

The narrator inhabits Melody’s consciousness amidst this public scene to reveal how her character is changing. The narrator uses italics, fragmentation, ellipses, and metaphor to distinguish Melody’s distinct way of seeing the world from Beat’s and the overarching narration. This moment captures Melody’s desire to overcome her fears and hesitations to prove herself and claim autonomy over her experience.

“Pushing him once for a more detailed response had been overstepping. Hadn’t it? When they were alone, though, like they’d been in the kitchen, nothing felt off-limits. It was like they could finally let down their guards and just […] be. A sort of magic she didn’t have with anyone else. But he’d stopped short of sharing his secret with her—and now she couldn’t stop picking up theories and discarding them. Not out of sheer curiosity, although there was some of that.”

Melody’s reflections on her interaction with Beat in Beat’s kitchen convey how intimate, private settings foster closeness between the protagonists. In the kitchen, Beat and Melody can speak in open, authentic ways. The space is insular and familiar and brings the characters closer together.

“You’ve shown me that I can only depend on myself. I taught myself how to be okay. Being okay is goals. But I don’t think being okay means avoiding anyone who might test your version of okay. Sometimes the okay boundary changes. You have to fucking step into it. You have to find your okay again. And again and again. Until we die. Welcome to being human.”

Melody claims her voice and experience by standing up to her mother. She uses clear, direct language and simple sentence structures. The use of fragmentation, repetition, italics, and expletives in this scene of dialogue also conveys Melody’s bold and urgent tone.

“Beat and Melody stood side by side, staring down at the twin-sized bed. Correction: mattress. It was a mattress. On the floor in the corner of a room at the highest point of the house. The attic, if you will. There was no other furniture, except for a row of potted house plants lined up in front of a giant, circular window. The sun had set while Melody and Trina were in jail, leaving the sky a pitch-black canvas full of stars that seemed so close Beat felt he could reach out and rearrange them.”

The detailed description of Trina Gallard’s attic guest room foreshadows the intimacy the space will create between Beat and Melody. The narrator attends to the mattress, floor, roof, plants, and windows, describing the scene in vivid detail. These environmental details ultimately bring the protagonists together and offer them a private haven away from the bustling public life they’re used to leading. The solace and closeness they will find in this private space highlights The Complexities of Love Under the Spotlight for the protagonists’ burgeoning romance.

“She was cocky. If she could imply her mother was a coward—to her face—and belt out a Steel Birds song in a room full of people, she could handle a potential broken heart. In fact, bring it on. Bring it all on. She was immortal tonight and she scorned the concept of regret or pain.”

The use of repetition, rhythm, punctuation, and fragmentation in this passage demonstrates Melody’s newfound confidence. These stylistic choices capture Melody’s fearlessness and her desire to engage with life despite the risks. Use of words like “cocky,” “belt,” and “immortal” contrast with words like “coward,” “broken,” and “pain,” which formally captures how Melody is emotionally growing.

“‘I mean, maybe I need to be let in. Maybe I need that trust. From you. With you. Oh […] nothing at all.’ She swallowed a rock. ‘There’s nothing for either of us to be sorry about. There’s no blame to cast. We decided to try—and we did.’”

Melody’s use of short, simple sentences captures her desire to be direct about her feelings with Beat. She doesn’t disguise what she’s thinking using ornate language and displays the openness she wants with and from Beat. The image of swallowing a rock also conveys how challenging this vulnerability is for Melody.

“What was she doing right at that moment? If she were here, he would trade a knowing look with her, because she would understand how everyone he spoke with wanted to pry and was valiantly holding themselves back. How he felt like not enough on his own, not enough without the juicy information about his famous family. How they were hoping Beat would offer a tidbit without them having to ask.”

The narrator’s use of questions, fragmentation, and anaphora in this passage highlights Beat’s complicated emotions regarding his relationships with Melody and his family. He is trying to make sense of how his romance fits into Navigating and Repairing Fraught Familial Dynamics. The narrator’s linguistic patterns capture these mental and emotional aspects of Beat’s experience.

“But as she stood at the top of the lane, wooden bocce ball in hand, she knew she had the right to be standing there, taking up a little patch of space. To be on a team. Maybe imposter syndrome was a pitfall some people lived with their whole lives and maybe she would be no different, but breathing was easier now. Being there was easier.”

The narrator’s use of conjunctions, fragmentation, metaphors, and repetition depicts Melody’s internal state. Melody knows that she hasn’t entirely changed in the past week, but she can claim the strides she’s made in her growth journey. The narrator’s linguistic patterns in this passage enact these disparities while conveying Melody’s negative capability and her growing self-confidence.

“Had he reached a turning point? Melody coming into his life was causing him to question everything. As her presence would probably do for any man worth a damn. But she deserved so much more than any man. She deserved the best. And he was nowhere near the best. Could he get there, though?”

The narrator’s use of questions, expletives, and italics shows Beat’s urgent state of mind. He is still questioning who he is and how he needs to grow. However, Beat’s meandering thoughts convey his openness to new opportunities and change. This demonstrates his commitment to The Journey Toward Self-Discovery and Personal Growth.

“‘Maybe I’ll never be unguarded like that with my friends. With anyone. But I loved being that way with you. Just […] open. Exposed. There’s no judgment. No guilt. And I think that’s because you’re the good part of me I’ve been missing. You’re the one who gets me. I just want you to have all of me.’ His chest lifted, plummeted, lifted again. ‘God knows I want all of you.’”

Beat uses fragmentation, one-word sentences, and repetition to be honest with Melody. He doesn’t talk around his feelings and instead distills his complex internal experience into simple sentences and using familiar vocabulary. Here, he is communicating in a new way and revealing his internal growth.

“Slowly into […] what? A relationship? What a hilarious word for this bond between them. Melody Gallard knew the floor plan of his soul. This transcended a mere relationship. Still, going slowly made a hell of a lot of sense. They’d taken a tandem dive without learning how to swim together first. She had enough grace to allow him a second chance and he didn’t want to squander it.”

The narrator’s use of questions and ellipses captures the ineffable facets of Beat and Melody’s connection. The protagonists know that they love each other, but they can’t easily articulate the breadth and depth of their love. Furthermore, the metaphors of diving and swimming capture the immersive nature of their romantic entanglement and emotional experiences. By describing their connection as diving without learning how to swim together first, the narrator emphasizes how Beat and Melody must still work to find synergy in their relationship.

“‘Well, I started to get upset—and I am, in a way. I don’t want these people standing outside of your apartment. I want you safe and we’ll have to work harder to make that happen. On the other hand’ […] He ducked down to whisper for her ears alone. ‘I’m kind of […] glad that we’re going to be all over the internet looking like we just spent the night in bed together. Why wouldn’t I want everyone to know I’m sleeping with you? Actually, I’m fucking thrilled about it.’”

Beat’s casual and familiar use of language in this scene of dialogue reveals how he has grown as an individual and a romantic partner. He isn’t trying to disguise his feelings and is instead speaking directly as he communicates his feelings to Melody. Use of words and phrases like “in a way,” “kind of,” and “fucking thrilled” highlights Beat’s genuineness and sincerity.

“What if I just do it? What if I just ask her to marry me? She would say yes. He’d move to Brooklyn or she’d join him across the river. They would get married with no cameras around, just the two of them. He would lay a map out in front of her and ask her where she wanted to go until this pandemonium died down. Budapest, Bruges, Bali. Anywhere. As long as they were together.”

The third-person narrator inhabits Beat’s headspace before the Today show interview to reveal how he sees Melody and envisions their future. The narrator delves into Beat’s imagination at this moment, which reveals how being with Melody has given him hope. The references to marriage, maps, and overseas destinations convey just how attached Beat is to a future with Melody.

“Her entire body was starting to shake—for so many reasons. Chiefly among them was denial that Beat had been confronted with his emotional captor live on the air and he’d been reeling from that blow all by himself. Without her. Ridiculous that she would leap to worry for him while in the midst of her own torturous pain, but that was love, apparently. Putting someone’s well-being in front of your own. He would have done it for her…He would have done it for her.”

The narrator’s attention to physical, sensory, and physiological detail in this passage captures Melody’s heightened emotional state. The narrator uses words like “shake,” “captor,” “reeling,” “blow,” “leap,” “torturous,” and “pain.” This diction contributes to a harried narrative tone, which mirrors Melody’s concern for Beat.

“He needed to come clean to Octavia. Now. Today. His silence had cost him Melody, and the loss of his mental well-being was nipping at his heels. Octavia wouldn’t want that, especially over a secret that involved her. And he couldn’t carry the burden alone anymore. Another piece of straw added to the weight would break his back. Or maybe it already had.”

The narrator’s use of fragmentation and metaphor depicts Beat’s resolved state of mind. The one-word sentences create a definite, unbending tone—which mirrors Beat’s determination to be honest and open. Phrases including “nipping at his heels,” “carry the burden,” and another “piece of straw added to the weight” on Beat’s back vividly describe the intensity of Beat’s internal experience.

“Her beautiful eyes full of tears, happy and sad and angry ones. Her flushed face as he fucked her two days ago. Everywhere. She was everywhere. And that was where he wanted her. He didn’t want a single ounce of her to slip free, so he endured the ice pick that buried in his chest every time another memory presented itself and made him miss her even more. More and more and more. Bring it on.”

The use of descriptive language in this passage illustrates Beat’s devotion to Melody. When he’s apart from her, he doesn’t think about her in a simplified way. Rather, he recalls vivid details about Melody’s character and appearance. These details, in turn, enliven Melody in Beat’s mind even when she’s absent from Beat’s life.