Many writers often struggle with setting. A poorly identified setting can distract readers from the story. However, a well-crafted setting can enhance the text and provide readers with a deeper connection to the story.
Generating a setting that complements a story takes time and research. It is important for writers to become as familiar as possible with the details of the setting prior to writing in order to naturally weave the details into the story.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins is a cute and fun summer young adult novel that does just that. It effectively weaves its Parisian setting from the first page to the last.
In addition to eferencing of a number of Parisian landmarks, there are also drops of French here and there. This provides an opportunity for readers to feel like they are there without having to hop on plane and pay the $1500 airfare.
Isn’t that what we want our young writers to do? Include a setting in a story that is so solid it makes readers feel as though they are really there without ever leaving the comforts of their favorite reading locations.
The French language adds to the story without providing a distraction. It is used to bring scenes to life without confusing readers. Here’s an example from chapter ten that shows how smoothly Perkins includes French into the text without causing readers to skip a beat or lose meaning:
“St. Clair is just friendly. The whole school likes him - the professeurs, the popular kids, the unpopular kids - and why wouldn’t they?”
This use of French also gives readers a bit of an idea what this experience is like for Anna since this is her first time in Paris, and she feels like an outsider. Readers quickly learn how to navigate the text, just as Anna learns how to navigate her senior year at the School of America in Paris.
Another common craft used these days to make young adult novels more realistic is the incorporation of emails or texts within a story. Chapter twenty-eight is an entire conversation that takes place between the two main characters during Christmas break when they are thousands of miles apart. This is an interesting technique to use when you want time to pass in a story, but you don’t want to leave readers hanging.
Be sure to check out Anna and the French Kiss for a Parisian experience that’s reasonably priced!
Perkins, Stephanie. Anna and the French Kiss. New York: Penguin Group, 2010. Print.
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