Revisiting Atherton

There comes a strange point in writing a novel when the place you invented begins to feel like somewhere you’ve actually been. Atherton, Vermont, has become one of those places for me.

It is the setting for The Shape Inside, the novel currently receiving most of my revision attention. On the surface, Atherton is an isolated New England town with history, traditions, old families, and the sort of picturesque appearance that might convince a visitor to stay longer than planned. They probably shouldn’t.

At the center of the novel is Dr. Wesley Hawthorne, who returns to Atherton looking for answers about his parents’ disappearance. What he finds is a town remarkably skilled at keeping its secrets—and remarkably uncomfortable with anyone asking the wrong questions.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most during revision is making Atherton itself feel increasingly important to the story. I love settings that become characters. The best fictional places have their own personalities. They have rules. They have histories. They contain things the characters know and things everyone has collectively agreed not to discuss. Atherton has plenty in that last category.

Revision has also reminded me that suspense isn’t always about adding something dramatic. Sometimes it means removing something. A little less explanation. A clue appearing earlier. A character reacting slightly differently. A seemingly insignificant detail that becomes considerably less insignificant fifty pages later. That’s where I am with The Shape Inside now.

The novel exists from beginning to end. The story is there. Revision is about making sure the reader experiences that story in exactly the way I want them to—while resisting the temptation to explain things before they need explaining. That last part can be difficult. Especially when you know what Atherton is hiding. Fortunately, Wesley doesn’t. Not yet.