Flashbacks In This Is Where It Ends By Marieke Nijkamp

Flashbacks are one of the most important parts of a book. A shining example of this use of flashbacks would be in the novel This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp. This is Where it Ends contains many flashbacks; each depicting separate concepts from the other, including literary terms such as imagery, setting, and a multitude of character types. These concepts are a big presence in the novel, and introduce the reader to many interesting and unique ideas.

The descriptive words used within the flashbacks present your mind with not just a story, but an image. The quote “The corn plumes seemed ablaze in the setting sun, and the high stalks kept prying eyes at bay. I worked on my college applications and watched tufts of early cotton float on the wind while Autumn danced.”(51) makes the audience think about what this would look like. The use of words such as prying, tufts, float, danced, and ablaze present the mind of the reader with a vivid image depicting rays of orange light as Autumn danced in a field. The distinct writing style the author uses can almost feel like a slideshow playing in your mind.

The quote “In our stuck-in-the-sixties kitchen, complete with vomit green walls, Ty grimaced at one of Dad’s lame jokes.”(135) unfolds the look of the setting in such a way that provides the reader with the old-fashioned tone and is worded in such a way that it almost sounds like a real location. Whenever a new setting is introduced in this novel, it is always represented in a very descriptive and lifelike