On flashbacks
Writing experts: “Don’t use flashbacks, they kill tension and slow the story.”
Lauren Groff: “Hold my beer.”
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
In The Vaster Wilds, she uses flashbacks throughout the entire book. And they work. I finished it this weekend and took a long walk with the dogs to think about why it worked so well. Here’s my humble take:
Groff’s flashbacks worked because:
1. She made me really care about the character first.
2. She structured the flashbacks in a way that did not yank me out of the story.
The story of The Vaster Wilds is simple. Girl on the run in the wilderness. It begins in medias res, so you don’t know exactly why, but you know it’s got to be bad. As the story progressed, I found myself wondering not only why she is running but also how? Where did she get her incredible strength and perseverance from? I really wanted to know.
Then Groff filled in the background in a way that felt natural to the story. There was no jarring, “Now I need to give you this information” feel to the revelations. Anyone who has been on a long hike knows that the mind wanders. Get a little hungry and dehydrated and, yeah, you’re going on a mental trip as your feet move. For me, it’s one of the enjoyable aspects of long journeys on foot. Groff made me sense the MC having this same experience. (Not enjoyable, mind you. But her mind wandered as she walked) As a result, the flashbacks never took me out of the moment. They felt of the moment.
The other choice the author made, was to write in a voice consistent with the MC’s time, a kind of “Old English.” It took me a chapter or two to say, “Okay.. this is how we’re rolling on this one.” But because Groff was consistent and skillful, the friction lifted and the voice became a meaningful part of the experience.
So. My two big takeaways, other than fondness and respect for the main character, are:
1- Flashbacks work if you make the reader really care about the character first.
2- Once the reader is leaning forward, delivering the flashbacks in a way that feels natural to the main character’s context helps them go down smoothly.
Good stuff.
TR