I was reading a book recently that, for about 90% of the book, was just okay. And then I got to the last few chapters of the book and couldn’t put it down.

What suddenly piqued my interest? The main character, who up until that point had been kind of insufferable about her insecurities, was thrown, unprepared, into a life-threatening event.

Now, if the character had been in the company of another character who was prepared for such an event, maybe the chapters would have been less compelling. But I was riveted by the descriptive writing of the character’s physical, mental, and emotional experiences trying to survive this event…with a dog in tow.

Spoiler alert: the character survives as does the dog. (We’ll talk more about this story later on in the blog.) But of the many facets of a story that keep readers reading, one important point to consider is how characters react to the situations occurring around them.

So, let’s talk about the importance of character reactions to trying situations and books that do this really well.

The Power of an Inciting Incident

Picture it: there’s a volcano on the edge of a sleepy town that’s about to erupt.

Or, a group of friends goes out for a sail and ends up on the open ocean with no way to call land when the boat dies.

Or, a woman and her husband go out to dinner when another woman approaches the table and introduces herself as the husband’s girlfriend.

All three are compelling situations, to be sure. However, they are only compelling when we consider how the characters react within them.

A volcano isn’t so frightening when the townspeople evacuate well before the eruption. However, what if the old man whose lived in the town refuses to evacuate and must find a way to survive in the face of disaster?

A group of friends in a dead boat on the open ocean with no way to call land is more interesting when one of the friends has a phobia of the deep sea and either slowly starts to deteriorate or has to face her fears.

And, of course, if the wife doesn’t care that her husband has a girlfriend, then why should we? But if the wife slaps the husband at the table and goes on a quest to find herself after divorcing him…

Seeing the trend here?

It’s Not About the Event, It’s About the Reaction

When we talk about an inciting incident, it’s usually the event that happens at the beginning of the story that kicks off all the events that tumble after.

However, I think that a story can have a variety of incidents that incite a reaction from the character to show their growth or humanity. Especially at the end of a story, throwing a character into an event that would have once made them tremble with fear, is a great way to complete a character arc. Really, you can put those kinds of incidents anywhere in your story to help develop your characters and give them dimension.

Some examples:

*Note: There will be spoilers for the following books – The Love Haters by Katherine Center, The Nestlings by Nat Cassidy, and The Wedding People by Alison Espach – if you don’t want spoilers, scroll on down to the end of the blog*

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

The story follows Katie, as she takes on an assignment that can help her keep her job and put her YouTube channel on the map. However, it isn’t until the end that we truly see Katie’s growth as a character when a hurricane hits Key West and she’s stranded on a boat with a dog in the middle of it.

All through the chapters where we’re watching Katie try to survive the hurricane, we feel her fear. Up until that point in the book, we watch as Katie grapples with her own feelings of insecurity around her body. But it isn’t until we see her fighting to survive a natural disaster that we as the reader are invested in the outcome and how she will get through such an event without any preparation. It’s fascinating to watch a character make decisions in the face of adversity that can be the difference between life and death.

The Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

The novel is about Ana and Reid, who move into a luxury apartment with their baby. Soon after they move in, things start to get weird, and Ana and Reid wonder if not everything is as it appears from the outside.

With a book like The Nestlings, we’re looking at how the strange happenings impact both the characters and their relationship to one another. From the beginning, we know that both Reid and Ana have feelings about their experience living in the building. And because they aren’t nonchalant about what’s happening around them, the reader becomes invested in how they are going to get through the situation.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

The story is about Phoebe, who goes to a fancy hotel in Newport, Rhode Island to commit suicide. However, there’s a wedding at the hotel, and the bride refuses to allow Phoebe to go through with her plan on her wedding week.

Of course, Phoebe’s attempt fails, and she must live a life beyond what she had planned for. However, that’s the investment. What does Phoebe do now? We want to see what she does and how she lives now that she gets this second chance.

Keeping the Reader Invested

When you throw a character into a precarious situation, the goal is to keep the reader asking: What happens next?

If your characters don’t care what’s happening to them or their reactions show nonchalance, then why should I be invested in what happens to them?

Their investment is my investment.

Fear, heart break, joy, those are real emotions that readers connect with. And it is that connection and watching how characters navigate those emotional experiences that help us learn and grow.

What’s your favorite book, and why do you love it? Let me know in the comments!

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Until next week, friends.