The Development of Suspense in Boy Nobody

Tarynn Grundy 

            The author of Boy Nobody builds suspense in several different ways; time, and distance. In the story Boy Nobody, a teenage male goes around on missions that involve a target who needs to be killed because they are trying to destroy the government. Boy Nobody completes his job on the mission, and simply disappears out of the town or area he stayed in for the time being. "This happens sometimes when I finish" (16). Boy Nobody means finish as in killing the target and completing his mission. When the time is right Boy Nobody receives a very important mission from Mother and Father who aren’t his real parents but the people who are in charge of him. His actual parent’s situation and status are not known.  

            When Boy Nobody receives a very important mission he goes in to it with the mindset that he will be able to execute the target and leave the town without anyone noticing just as he always does but that is not the case. The author develops the suspense of this plot by giving a time limit for Boy Nobody to complete his mission and decreasing the time limit days into the mission. " About that. There's been a change. Your assignment has to be turned in by tomorrow." (225).That action causes the main character, Boy Nobody, to panic and try to figure out the situation while also leaving the audience at the edge of their seat. When I read the book that was my reaction to the event exactly. Not only does the suspense created in the story effect the main character but it effects the other characters too because Boy Nobody starts to unravel; discussing things that should not be discussed with the wrong people. 

Allen Zadoff, the author of Boy Nobody, does a great job of creating suspense in several different places in the story. Throughout the first half of the story a character known as the "Presence" is frequently mentioned. The Presence is a major contributor to the suspense in the book because of the simple fact that his name is unknown. "A presence. Following me. It's on the very edge of my awareness. Nearly imperceptible." (78). Boy Nobody knows someone is watching him but just doesn’t know the exact name of the person, so that simple detail leaves the audience on edge.