October marks the one-year anniversary of starting my novel. I didn’t know it’d be a novel at the time. I just had an idea—one that planted itself in my brain and proceeded to expand despite my inaction, like a stubborn stem of ivy. After a couple years (yes, years), I finally opened a Word document and started writing what I imagined would be a short story, maybe a novella. Within a couple months, as I got to know the characters and built an ever-expanding list of questions I wanted to answer throughout the piece, there was no denying I had a novel on my hands.
My novel takes place in one day, with a lot of flashbacks and reflection. I’ve struggled with finding a balance between bringing the reader into my main character’s past, then back into the present. I don’t want to give readers whiplash by zipping back and forth in time, but I also don’t want them to become too removed from present day events.
When I started Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and realized her main plotline took place in one day as well, I grabbed a pad and started taking notes on how she structured the story. Around the same time, a blogger I can’t recall wrote a short review of The Most by Jessica Anthony, and I was instantly intrigued because the story takes place over the course of eight hours.
I now have a legal pad of notes that warranted a “Read Like a Writer” post.
Though both novels center on a single day, the choices the authors made— and thus, my experiences as a reader— are vastly different.
Is there one I liked more? Yes, but I don’t want to influence anyone’s opinion, especially if you haven’t read both (or either) books. Both are fantastic, but I was blown away by one more than the other, perhaps because I tend to be introspective myself. That’s all I’ll say!
Here’s what I noticed and learned…
First, a quick summary of each novel
Atmosphere is the story of Joan, an aspiring astronaut in the early 1980s, and her romantic relationship with Vanessa, an aeronautical engineer she meets in training for NASA’s space shuttle program. As their relationship grows, so, too, does Joan’s understanding of who she is and her place in the world. It all culminates on December 29, 1984, when Vanessa is aboard a shuttle flight gone wrong, and Joan must decide if she will finally let her real self be seen.
The Most centers on Kathleen and Virgil, whose marriage appears ideal, but lies, betrayal, regret, and shame flow deep below the surface. On an unseasonably warm November morning in 1957, Kathleen immerses herself in the apartment complex pool and refuses to get out. Over the course of the day, both she and her husband reflect on their lives, families, and marriage, ultimately meeting poolside, where Virgil’s answer to Kathleen’s simple, but loaded, question will determine their future.
Interestingly, both stories take place on the day of a major space event — Atmosphere on the day of the fictional third flight of the space shuttle Navigator and The Most on the day the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 (though it’s on a different date in the novel). And in both books, space exploration serves as a major metaphor for venturing into unknown—and therefore scary—territory. Side note: The Most is a masterclass in metaphor, rivaling Nightbitch.
What I noticed
Character point of view
Both novels use third-person limited narrative, which allows the reader to see the innermost thoughts of Joan and Vanessa and Virgil and Kathleen. In having access to the perspectives of both characters in each relationship, readers get a complete look at specific moments and better understand the characters’ motivations and actions. As a result, we become more vested in, and emotionally connected to, their story.
A key point of difference between these novels, however, is we only see Vanessa’s point of view in the present day, on December 29. In lookbacks to the days before, we are privy only to Joan’s thoughts. Alternatively, The Most volleys between the two characters’ POVs, allowing us to see Kathleen and Virgil’s musings in alternating chapters.
Shifts between past and present
Similar to its characters’ POVs, The Most ping pongs between present day and the events leading up to it. Every chapter includes a look back in time and a “check-in” with the current day in November 1957—Kathleen moving around the pool and interacting with her family and neighbors while immersed in the water, and Virgil alternating between going about his day as though it’s a normal Sunday and trying to coax Kathleen out of the pool. Like an onlooker at a tennis match, the reader’s head whips back and forth as time moves back and forth.
Atmosphere traverses time more simply, beginning in the present day, then rewinding to seven years earlier. From there, the story moves chronologically—with just two jumps forward into present day—arriving again (and ending) in December 1984 to bring the story full circle.
These varying approaches to time travel produce significantly different effects. Atmosphere hooks us with a high-stakes accident, then dissolves into a slow burn; we readers know what is happening in the present day, but we’re taking the long journey beside Joan to get back there, which creates anticipation, tension, and emotional build-up. We reach the end on the edge of our seats, desperate to find out what happens to these characters we’ve grown to love.
In leaping back and forth in time, The Most allows us to see both the day and the characters’ histories unfold in parallel. We aren’t left with questions for long; answers reveal themselves quickly because we don’t linger in any one time period. Additionally, our opinions and perspectives on the characters’ present-day actions constantly shift as new information is revealed.
Because of this, we begin to understand aspects of both characters early on, and we quickly realize how their marriage has reached this breaking point. It’s a constant unfolding, similar to an acquaintance who constantly overshares. By the end of the story, we are as emotionally exhausted as its characters and yearn only for a resolution—for ourselves and for these characters whom we decidedly don’t love but have come to know well.
Summary versus scene
Atmosphere is scene-heavy, with a lot of characters and dialogue. We readers oberve how Joan grows and changes through her interactions with colleagues, friends, family, and Vanessa. We are there with her, seeing the world through her eyes.
Alternatively, The Most is heavy on summary of Kathleen and Virgil’s experiences. This allows us to see two things: first, that their world (especially Kathleen’s) is small, with few friends and limited family interactions. Second, we learn a lot about Kathleen and Virgil and see their thoughts, but we’re always kept at arm’s length. We’re not sure what to trust; if we’re not “seeing” it ourselves, is the summary Virgil or Kathleen provides accurate, or are they revealing what they want us to know? Are they treating us readers as they’ve treated each other?
Plot- versus character-driven stories
While there is solid character development in Atmosphere, the focus remains on the plot, which drives the story forward. Joan and Vanessa must make many choices because of external forces and events, such as Joan’s sister’s choices, an unexpected explosion in space, and general unacceptance of homosexuality in the early 1980s.
The Most, in contrast, is deeply character-driven, focused squarely on Kathleen and Virgil’s inner conflicts. The plot emerges from their struggles and desires rather than external events. Apart from the Sputnik 1 launch (which they have nothing to do with), it’s a typical Sunday. Families go to church, and Virgil’s colleagues golf afterward, before heading home to eat the dinner their wives spent the afternoon preparing. Without their flaws and motivations, there marriage wouldn’t have happened, nor would the series of bad decisions leading up to the present day and Kathleens seeking refuge and a baptism of sorts in the community pool.
Implications for our writing (and prompts!)
The way a novel moves through time creates a distinct experience for the reader.
Exercise: Identify a story that moves through time and note the choices the author made. Does the story come full circle, like Atmosphere, move back and forth like The Most, or proceed entirely chronologically? Next, create an outline for the story in which time moves in a different way. What changes? What is lost? What is gained?Third-person limited point of view, when imbued with summary, creates distance between the characters and reader. Conversely, third-person limited POV with ample scene can create a strong connection for the reader.
Exercise: Rewrite a scene or summary from one of these novels (or one of your choosing) so that it becomes the other. How does your experience as a reader differ when the passage is a scene versus summary?
You can grab these novels—and all books featured in my “Read Like a Writer” series—from my custom Bookshop.org bookshelf.
Who’s read one or both novels? What did you think? Do you agree or disagree with my analysis? I’d love to hear your perspective!
Love your deep dive into these books!! I loved loved loved atmosphere and get to hear TJR next month at a library event!!