"Yes, maybe it's time to move on. Spare some our hurt before the World retakes what we always elude when we run."
Only Revolutions (2006) by Mark Z. Danielewski, of House of Leaves fame, follows two parallel narratives spun by sixteen year olds Sam and Hailey. Immortal, they go on a roadtrip across America spanning two hundred years filled with adventure, romance and heartbreaking moments. That is, if you can understand it.
This book provides examples of:
- Arc Words: A few, including variants of "always sixteen", "everyone loves the dream, but I kill it" and "boooooooomblastandruin".
- Chekhov's Gun: The pots of honey.
- Double-Sided Book: A tricky palindrome of a novel, you can start it from either cover.
- Immortal Immaturity: They are, after all, "always sixteen".
- Mind Screw: As with all Mark Z. Danielewski works. However, this one is more complex in the way the prose is written and less the plot.
- Narrative Poem: Quasi-example. It reads similar to a poem, but it has no meter or joining characteristic, making it fit in the blurry area between a typical novel and a narrative poem.
- Painting the Medium: The letter "o" and certain words are always typed in green or gold. Also, THE CREEP and all instances of the word creep are always in purple.
- Title Drop: Near the end of both sides of the book.
- Unreliable Narrator: Both of them. The same story is woven, but Sam and Hailey's accounts differ, often showing themselves in a sympathetic light.
