55 pages • 1 hour read
John MarrsThe One
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Separate but Synchronous Narratives
Combining five unconnected novelettes into a single novel offers benefits and drawbacks. While critics have described The One as unique and innovative, reader reviews are more mixed. Many readers find the book riveting while others dislike the structure and find it distracting to jump between characters every several pages. In addition, the five storylines never intersect or overlap at any point, which would have added a sense of cohesion, pulling the five plotlines into a single narrative.
However, one advantage is that the structure enables the author to place the emphasis on theme rather than character. Marrs could have written five novels; the individual narratives each contain enough material to explore in a full-length novel, but doing so would emphasize plot and character rather than theme. To get the full perspective on the theme, readers must read all five books and reflect on them all at once. Keeping the narratives separate but synchronous allows the reader to see the theme playing out in all storylines simultaneously. Marrs compensates for the fragmentation by making the transitions effectively, labeling each chapter with its protagonist, and rapidly grounding the reader in the scene. By maintaining a regular rotation in point-of-view, he allows readers to predict the upcoming protagonist in the next chapter or even to flip through the book, reading each storyline separately.
On the other hand, the format sacrifices momentum. Each change in point-of-view forces the reader to jump back to an earlier point in story progression. One character makes a critical decision that moves the story forward, then the reader must go back and go through the same process with the next protagonist. The structure also sacrifices opportunities for increased dramatic tension, glossing over complications and conflicts that could be explored in more depth. For example, in Jade’s storyline, the reader sees that she and Mark have feelings for each other, but the reader doesn’t witness the characters struggling with temptation; that conflict slides into the background. In Christopher’s storyline, there is no indication that Amy suspects him until she appears at the home of his last victim. Nick’s storyline gives no reason to suspect that Sally was having an affair until the baby is born. Consequently, the revelations neither fulfill nor subvert reader expectations. This is the balancing act of the mystery or thriller—giving the reader enough information, or raising enough questions, to keep the element of surprise while allowing the reader to feel, in retrospect, that the revelation was inevitable.
Characterization and Character Development
Another significant drawback to the complex narrative structure is that much character evolution must be summarized rather than shown more subtly through dialogue and action. In other words, the characterization often must be direct instead of indirect. For example, the author might say something like, “Mark and Jade avoided each other for weeks, and Jade felt hurt,” or “Christopher felt more and more bored.” Many readers found this frustrating or even dull. As mentioned before, each storyline has the complexity to warrant its own full-length novel, which would allow readers to read between the lines to interpret character development rather than being told explicitly. Additionally, Marrs provides very little physical description of the characters, particularly the protagonists, and only general estimates of age—one character being older or younger than another.
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