White Smoke

“The neighborhood seems pretty walkable. Helpful, considering Mom and Alec made it clear there’s no way in hell I will ever get a car again. They barely let me walk to Tamara’s House alone. That, along with an eight-thirty curfew and mandatory bag inspections…you could almost mistake my situation for house arrest.”

Backstory clues abound in this passage from Marigold’s interior monologue. This main character arrives in Maplewood, with the “ghosts” of her trauma that took place in California, including a drug addiction to prescription painkillers that followed an injury, a strong desire for marijuana, and a mental health struggle. Marigold’s parents not allowing her to drive, establishing an 8:30 pm curfew, and mandatory bag checks all describe how she feels restricted and closely monitored by her parents. Describing this situation as “house arrest” furthers how Marigold feels policed due to her past mistakes. Structurally, the author reveals this exposition slowly through clues and short flashbacks in Marigold’s viewpoint.

“Despite the rhetoric, I’m drawn to the skeleton-looking white-haired man who seems to be on death’s door, shouting with his last breath. His neck is pulsing red, skin pasty, gray eyes bulging, blue veins like ivy vines on his temples. It’s like a car crash you can’t turn away from.”

Sensory imagery and graphic description are hallmarks of the horror genre. In this passage, Marigold reacts to the gory-looking TV personality Reverend Clark in language that conveys visual appearance through figurative expressions (“skeleton-looking,” “seems to be on death’s door,” and “shouting with his last breath”) and similes (“It’s like a car crash you can’t turn away from”). Because the language is in Marigold’s viewpoint, word choice and images indirectly reveal her imagination and propensity for metaphorical thinking.

“The door is nothing more than an old piece of plywood, warped and weatherworn. Sammy shoves it with his shoulder. It huffs a breath and creaks open. The broken windows allow just enough light to shine into a living room, painted in volcanic ash. Or that’s how thick the gray dust seems to be.”

Marigold’s viewpoint uses figurative language when she and Sammy trespass into one of the vacant houses on their street. She personifies the door as a breathing creature. She further compares the dust to volcanic ash in a metaphor. Her word choice is also alliterative with the “w” repetition in “warped and weatherworn.”

“Like I said, you got to give the land some extra nurturing if you want anything to grow.”

Once Marigold meets Yusef, their hesitant, awkward relationship provides romantic interest in this horror novel. Here, Yusef speaks about the soil in Maplewood, but his words have metaphorical value; they foreshadow the way that Marigold must practice self-care and self-forgiveness to heal from her earlier traumas.

“I was homeless, smoking the crack. Was strung out for ten years. I prayed for a miracle. That’s when I called Reverend Clark and ordered his FREE Holy Seeds. I planted them seeds in front of a home I wanted and it’s like they grew overnight, they grew so tall. Two weeks later, the deed to that house was in my hands and I never touched the devil’s candy again! Praise be to God.”

Passages like this represent Reverend Clark’s evangelical TV show, media that many in Cedarville love. The testimonials from Clark’s devotees and the reverend’s words serve as voiceovers to the narrative occasionally, injecting the atmosphere with a feeling of awkward non-reality. His lies and the gullibility of people to order his “FREE Holy Seeds” frustrate Marigold and make her feel insecure and uncomfortable in the house. This testimonial ironically discusses addiction to drugs, further discomfiting Marigold; it is also ironic that the witness regales the Holy Seeds, as Marigold is currently obsessed with procuring her own seeds—marijuana seeds.

“My guru always says when used properly, sage can help to cleanse the energy of a place […] maybe the whole house needs to be cleansed.”

The plot uses several devices that are typical conventions of the horror genre such as creepy noises, items that go missing or are misplaced, and a young child’s interaction with a ghost mistaken for their relationship with an imaginary friend. Here, Marigold’s reliance on cleansing techniques like sage intersects with the conventional horror device of a house in need of cleansing—not just from negativity or unhelpful energy but also from bitter or cruel spirits who dwell there.

“And you think the residents don’t want that too? Have you tried asking them?”

With the first visit from Mr. Sterling, Marigold feels an increasingly pressing need to dissect the Foundation’s plans for the Maplewood neighborhood. Marigold shows courage, pointedness, and sass when she questions Mr. Sterling when he implies that the Foundation wants the neighborhood to return to its “glory days” even if it means sweeping change and pricing out the current residents. This cloaked vision implies gentrification, a societal ill in which those already struggling socioeconomically cannot afford rapid spikes in property value and improvements. Marigold’s deepening knowledge of Mr. Sterling’s manipulative intentions develops Using the Horror Lens to Explore and Amplify Societal Issues.

“CREEEEAK. The sound floats up from the basement, the sound of weight on wood, like someone taking a first step on the staircase. But that’s impossible. This is just an old house. Old house, old house noises.”

Sound devices such as onomatopoeia (“CREEEEAK”) and alliteration (“weight on wood”) contribute to the increasing use of sensory. Additionally, Marigold repeatedly uses the phrase “old house” to describe the dwelling’s characteristics.

“The map takes over the entire area of Maplewood. It means they plan to flatten the neighborhood within a few years. Where do they think all those people are going? Or better question…what do they plan to do with them?”

Marigold’s concern for her neighbors is evident in her interior monologue. Specifically, it shows her reaction to the Sterling Foundation’s new plans to remove current residents through a deliberate gentrification plot, which will “flatten the neighborhood within a few years.” Her reference to “all those people” alludes to families who have spent their lives in the area, raising generations there. This contributes to Community Memory and Its Generational Impact.

“Every move is a set-up for the next move.”

Marigold’s father Chay shows through indirect characterization that he is a realist when he offers advice regarding the Sterling Foundation’s goals: Follow the money. Here, Marigold shows that she understands his cryptic messaging is a metaphor that alludes to games of chess the two of them used to play: what’s happening now may be only a strategy toward what is to come. This reveals her intention to dig deeper, showing her tenacity and courage.

“That’s Tamara. My own Veronica Mars, she’s good at researching shit. She can pinpoint as address based on an Instagram pic.”

When Tamara mentions that she has been looking into the details of Cedarville’s past, Marigold makes this allusion to explain her friend’s talent for uncovering truths. Veronica Mars is the protagonist of a TV show of the same name that aired from 2004 to 2019. After a series of incidents that caused once-popular Veronica to become a social pariah, this teen girl joined forces with her detective father to solve crimes and uncover truths among the wealthy elite in her California beach town. The author establishes several parallels between Veronica and Marigold’s life: the beach town background, the need to find out the truth, and the wealthy elite’s actions.

“No way to rebuild when they don’t have money to start with.”

In a speech that helps to develop Using the Horror Lens to Explore and Amplify Societal Issues, Yusef explains the true horror of the fires often set on Halloween in Maplewood. Originally used to remove squatters and keep the streets safe for trick-or-treaters after Seth Reed’s death, the fires that continue each year on the holiday now symbolize subtle control by the white authorities (the police and fire department) over the residents, many of whom are people of color who struggle socioeconomically.

“Guilt pinches at my side like a cramp. I paste on a fake smile.”

Marigold’s interior monologue reveals how her behavior and secrets induce guilt when her mother ironically praises her ability to turn a new leaf in their new home. Dramatic irony also comes into play here, as the reader is more familiar with Marigold’s secrets (notably, her garden in the abandoned house and her use of marijuana the night of the party) than Raquel. Marigold’s secrets cause her physical pain, explained in the simile “like a cramp.” This exchange contributes to The Dynamics and Challenges Within Blended Families.

“The test is going to be negative, but just the thought that Mom felt she had to give it to me cuts deeper than a knife, burning me alive.”

Marigold complies with the urine test her mother requests, but her disgust and disappointment with herself combined with the shock of Erika’s arrest at school cause physical pain. She employs metaphor, comparing the emotional pain to being cut or burned, and hyperbole (“cuts deeper” and “burning me alive”) to describe the weight of her feelings. The line is ironic in that just days before, the test would have been positive (Marigold smoked marijuana at the party). Additionally, she has been focused on growing her marijuana secretly in an abandoned nearby house. The line also foreshadows additional burning feelings when her bedbug phobia returns.

“Yusef freezes, neck craning in my direction. To his credit, he tries his best to mask the shock, but I know this revelation was a sledgehammer to the idea he’s painted in his head about me.”

This moment marks the beginning of a change in Marigold; rather than hide her history with addiction, she intuitively feels that letting Yusef know the truth is the wisest move. Marigold shows that she will not allow Yusef’s misconception about her to grow any further, demonstrating a maturing respect for him. Marigold’s interior monologue frequently employs hyperbole, and this example includes idiomatic language with the word choice “freezes” and the metaphor “this revelation was a sledgehammer.”

“Suddenly, a hand shoots out from between the oats and yanks me inside by the collar. I let out a shriek, forehead hitting the back wall of the closet, the door slamming behind me.”

Jump scares are a hallmark of the horror genre. Here, the sudden action is unexpected and suspenseful; the hand turns out to be Sammy’s, but the fearful scene continues as the ghost passes by them in the hall. Jump scares serve to heighten suspense.

“That was the agreement with Dad, right? If things don’t work out with Alec, I can move in with Dad. It was the only way he’d allow you to take us out of the state.”

Marigold’s sudden announcement raises the stakes in the narrative. Often, an author will change the “rules of the game” to heighten suspense, increase pacing, or alter expectations; Marigold’s desire to leave for California accomplishes all three. Now, Marigold and Sammy have only limited days to prove the ghost’s existence, or they risk leaving their mother behind. Ironically, their stepfather, Alec, was unaware of the “deal” that allowed Raquel to move with her and Chay’s children out of state; his consternation at the surprise turn of events helps develop The Dynamics and Challenges Within Blended Families.

“The parade of neighbors that followed him spreads out, making a semicircle on the front lawn, faces contorted in scowls, the air charged and hostile.”

The author’s word choice of “parade” creates a juxtaposition with the scene that follows, as a parade of people typically has a lighthearted and festive mood while this group of neighbors exudes an atmosphere of bitterness and rage. The imagery sets up a face-to-face conflict between Maplewood residents and the family on the porch; their hostility and Yusef’s worried reactions toward them remind Marigold of the vengeance enacted against the Peoples family. This contributes to Community Memory and Its Generational Impact.

“Cedarville has just been waiting to hand out licenses for dispensaries. One was finally approved and it’s a national chain!”

Situational irony accompanies Tamara’s news about the legalization of marijuana in Marigold’s state. Her desperate need to obtain marijuana drives much of her early decision-making in the novel, such as the choice to join the gardening club and her risky ventures in the house at 219. Further irony exists in that marijuana is suddenly legal and available in a city where so many residents were imprisoned over its possession. Additionally, it is ironic that a member of the Sterling board (whose mission is to create a wealthy new neighborhood where Maplewood stands) is the CEO of the company bringing a franchise dispensary to town.

“OD’ing is the type of mistake you never shake. Because the only person who believes you’re really better is you.”

Foreshadowing throughout the narrative hints at a drug overdose in Marigold’s past. In the last section of chapters, she finally reveals to Yusef that, ironically, in trying to avoid Percocet, she smoked marijuana that was laced with Fentanyl. She survived, but her life changed drastically, including rehab, homeschooling, and her mother’s worry and lack of trust. It changed her permanently, evidenced by describing overdosing as a “mistake you never shake.”

“The sour smell hits me like a brick to the face. I cover my mouth, gagging, bending over the sink to catch any chunks, as I finally recognize it. It’s human.”

Dawning realizations are a common device in horror stories and mysteries, and this one comes with the jump scare of a creepy yellow eye staring out of the bathroom closet at her in the mirror. Sensory imagery conveys the awful smell of unwashed humans, and a violent simile (“hits me like a brick to the face”) communicates its forcefulness.

“Run, run, run, get out of here, they’re on you now, you need bleach, blow-dryer, burn your clothes, can’t breathe, need air, no, need hot water, run, run, run…”

While Marigold is about to rescue Piper in the burning house, the sight of bedbugs—one of her greatest fears and a recurring motif in the novel—almost trips her up. Her interior monologue shifts into a stream-of-consciousness style that communicates her panic and lack of control. This style and her attempts to eradicate the bedbugs echo the earlier scene when she panicked over coffee grounds, thinking they were bedbugs. Now that Marigold has matured emotionally and made progress on controlling her anxiety, she can shut out her panicky thoughts and get to Piper.

“It’s not your fault. She tricked you. Why should you hurt yourself because of a…mistake?”

Marigold’s words to Piper as the two of them recover at Yusef’s house intend to ease Piper’s conscience. Once she speaks, however, Marigold realizes the message applies to her as well, and she feels the start of self-healing regarding her past mistakes. This demonstrates Marigold’s coming of age and signifies the completion of her character arc.