Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

At the very beginning of ZZ Packer's story Brownies, it felt like something was already happening. She didn't need to introduce the reader on the full details of the setting, but she did so gradually in a subtle way. The way she described the girls of Troop 909 was quite unique using reference to ice cream. Using such reference seemed a bit abstract, yet at the same time it sounds like something a very sharp minded 4th grader would think. The way Packer describes how the characters look and dress are so vivid and exact that I can picture it in my mind without difficulty. Anecdotes were cleverly weaved in to the sentences to give background information on characters and the setting in a short amount of words. Her use of metaphors and similes helped enhance the images like when she used the simile of Daphne’s expression when she was reading the guide book. Quotes were incorporated into the paragraphs in the same way a reporter would write an article, with proper source notations so that the readers wouldn’t get confused. With the narrator’s participation of the whole situation, it seemed like she was more of an observer, who just happened to be at the right place at the right time to see it all. I like how the suspense built up, and how the unlikeliest thing would happen at the end of the climax. Her writing style is quirky, easy to follow, and captivating.