2015 A to Z Challenge: Pianissimo - Day 14 (N)

For the third consecutive year, I am participating in the A to Z blog challenge.
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

This year, we're going to go through my latest full-length novel, Pianissimo.

Two weeks in, and we are up to the letter N. N is for night. I'm actually going to talk about how time of day or night plays an important role in the story.

There are a few really good - and very important - nocturnal scenes.  

In one such scene, we are introduced to Agnes as just the vision of a woman's silhouette in the darkness of night. This scene originates as one of Corinne's dreams, but we revisit and relive it later on in the story.

In another, we see the story take a tremendous turn the night of the school's holiday party. Agnes and Margaret walk out one evening to make an appearance at the holiday party. Still seen as an unusual pair of single friends, Agnes feels the need to go to keep in the good graces of the powers that be in their school district. They plan it being a short visit, and it is exactly that when Clarence decides to speak to Margaret. In this scene, not only are we introduced to Clarence, we see the story take a sudden, dark turn.

There's also the very powerful scene of Agnes and Margaret leaving the movie theatre hand-in-hand, when they are confronted by an unknown man. With all of Agnes's strength and wit, she cuts him down to size by telling him that she has poor night vision, and that is why she is holding Margaret's hand. What's interesting is that this scene is the only time when Agnes' vision is discussed. Does she truly have poor night vision, or was that simply a lie to get that man away from them? What do you think?

Just as we deeply ponder the meanings of the people and events in our lives in the darkness of night, I will leave you to contemplate those thoughts and questions.

Indeed, N is for night.

http://www.amazon.com/Pianissimo-Lauren-Shiro-ebook/dp/B00OEOTZMC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420832795&sr=8-2&keywords=lauren+shiro