How does the writer use language to portray the character of Paul Copeland in The Woods.
The Woods is written by Harlan Coben and is a powerful thriller. The language in the books portrays the message of lost hope and trying to find out their past, present and what will happen in the future. Coben uses snide comments and sarcasm to lighten the mood every now and then throughout The Woods, this makes the book more interesting because it keeps you hooked into the book. Each character has a different interpretation of what happened that night in summer camp and it shows you everyone’s true feelings towards that sensitive event. Coben is superb at layering his novels in terms of plot and he reduces the lives of his characters bizarreness. There is something very solid and stable about Harlan Cobens narrative here and character and place are given enough ‘reality’ to persuade and support the varying of the complicated plot. An example of sarcasm is when Paul Copeland insults Chamiques attorney. “‘The sum has now reached a level where your attorney here, Mr Who-Needs-A-Shower-When-There’s-Cologne, thinks it makes sense to do it . . . Shh,’ I said. Then I cupped my ear with my hand. ‘Listen to the crinkling sound.’ ‘To what?’ ‘I think your cologne is peeling my wallpaper. If you listen closely, you can hear it. Shh, listen’” Copeland makes this remark on Chamiques rape case. The readers may think that he makes snide comments throughout the books as a stress release from all of the complication that has just arrived into his life. Paul still remembers the people and the specifics about certain friends. He has to go and identify a body of a man who we find out was one of the missing people who was meant to already be dead. ‘I remember it from camp’ I said. I gestured with my chin back towards the glass. ‘Look at his arm.’ This shows that he remembers that his friend had an awful scar and Paul even remembered what arm it was on. He was so sure of this that he even went against what the parents of the man that was meant to be known as Gil Perez. The author made this a clear argument towards the parents; even though the parents of Gil knew Paul was telling the truth it gives the book more suspense.
One thing I enjoyed in The Woods was when the author said something and in the next sentence he will say it in a simpler way, almost correcting himself. ‘All had been buried out in the woods, some before death. Yes, as in buried alive’ this makes it more interesting, it seems as if Harlan Coben was talking to himself but through the narrator of the whole book. Harlan Coben uses this technique more than once in the book. Another example is: ‘Yes Lonnie a bonus. As in more money.’ As well as it being humorous in the book it can tell the reader what is meant by a certain word or phrase if they were originally unaware of that word or phrase. There is a lot of descriptive language in this book; it helps create a vivid image of the settings and characters. ‘She wore a green snug pullover that clung exactly as it should. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wore glasses tonight’
