How Isla Morley builds suspense in "Above"

     "Above" is told from 16 year old, Bylthe Hallowell's point of view. Blyhte attends the "Horse Thieves Picnic," the biggest festival all year, with her family. She lives in Eudora, Kansas where nothing really happens, but the picnic. Having plans to meet with her friend, Arlo Meier, she leaves her family and walks over to the bleachers;where her and Arlo are supposed to meet. After realizing that he is not going to show up she leavs the picnic and begins walking home. She is stopped by her school librarian, Dobbs Hardin, who tells her that her brother got into a car acident. She gets in the car with him when he offers her a ride to the hospital. During the ride she notices they are not heading to the hospital, when she questions Dobbs he tells her that he is sorry and knocks her out. She wakes up in an abandoned missile silo, where she is kept for years without knowing what her future holds. she make smany failed attempts to escpae  anddnever knows if she will ever go back above ground.

     One way the autohr builds suspense is by foershadowing events to come. She uses certain events to give the reader an idea of what will happen to Blythe. The reader,from previous experiences, would assume they know what is going to happen. "I keep scuttling up. My back screams in pain. And finally, I've gone as far as there is to go. I've reached the light"(Morley,75). From this part in the book readers would assume that Blyhte is going to get out because she has climbed up far enough to reach light. There would be no idea that she is not going to get out because, her reaching light alludes to her escape.

      Another way the authro builds is by the narrators thoughts. She gives specific moments that add to the suspense of the overall book. the novekl is told from Blythe's point of view. We know everything that she does and what she hears around her. She is very good with this technique, as she doesnot give too musch away. She leaves the reader on the edge of their seats, guesing about what is going to happen next. "My heart starts to race. He's been pursued? They're coming for me?" (Morley, 134) This part from the novel demonstrates how he uses the naraaotr to build suspense. She alludes to the idea that the narrator know something, but she keeps the reader guesing at the same time.