What is up with all the backstory in Sag Harbor?
A question I asked myself many times over the course of reading Colson Whitehead's Sag Harbor was, "What is the point of having so many seemingly useless details?" Admittedly, at the time of writing this blog post I have yet to finish Sag Harbor , so perhaps the answer to my question lies in those final chapters of the book, but regardless, it seems odd to have so many details and stories when the characters are just doing some simple action such as getting into a car. I would like to recognize that adding backstory accomplishes two things. It explains why characters act(ed) in certain ways and helps lead their future moves. However, it also acts as filler text, helping to stretch the writing so a sentence such as: "Marie hopped on her pink bike, buckled her helmet, gripped the handlebars tightly and rang the bell, then headed off on her way," can be turned into: "Marie walked down the sidewalk with a laugh in her heart and a skip in her step. Adventure