The way characters act towards one another is a key feature of relationships within a text. Dialogue, body language and tone of voice can tell the reader a lot about a relationship. The interaction between two characters is an interesting area to focus on when studying the theme of relationships.
In Sarah Crossan’s novel One, Tippi and Grace are conjoined twin sisters who share everything, from clothes to friends to their body. In the excerpt below, the twins are about to start their fi rst day at a new school. Pay attention to their interactions with each another.
One
Truth Is What Happens Tippi,
half dipped in sleep, drains her coffee mug and stares into her scrambled eggs as though she can read her future in the yellow and white swirls.
I never usually rush her, but we can’t be late, not on our fi rst day of school, so I quietly clear my throat —ahem, ahem—
hoping it will stir her from daydreaming long enough to get going on the marbled eggs.
Instead it is like pouring icy water into a pan of hot fat.
Tippi pushes away her plate. ‘You know I’m owed a goddamn gold medal for all the times you’ve kept me waiting over the years.’
