Language

Style of writing

In “This Is All Mostly True”, Kathy Stevens uses contractions both in the dialogue and the narration, which helps to emphasise Elsie’s voice and keep an informal tone throughout the story: “Stacie didn’t say that I am an obligation” (l. 23); “She’s only my friend because I can’t go to school and you and Mum pay her to come here, I say.” (ll. 177-178). Parentheses are used to provide explanations for certain ideas: “Dad and I watch zombie films whenever Mum’s out with the girls (it’s our thing)” (ll. 5-6); “The scene takes place in the fictive present (me on the step)” (l. 113). We also notice a British dialect in Elsie’s father’s use of the word “lass” l. 27), which means “girl” or “young woman”.

The narration is mixed with dialogue, but there is no distinction made between it and the narration (such as using quotations marks, for example): “I tell Dad the washing’s on the line. He says Okay, well. I say I’ll get it in. He says Thanks Chuckyegg.” (ll. 62-65) The lack of distinction between the dialogue and the narration helps create the sense that we are looking at the events through Elsie’s eyes. It also helps to suggest that the story explores the distinction between truth, lies, and fiction. Using quotation marks in non-fiction texts generally suggests that the words used are an accurate repre...