The Next Great Paulie Fink

“Now goddess, child of Zeus, tell the old story for our modern times. Find the beginning.”

The novel’s epigraph quotes Homer’s Odyssey. The quote sets the tone for the novel’s overarching theme regarding The Power and Limitations of Storytelling; it implies that storytelling has the ability to transcend time and communicate universal truths, but it also suggests the challenge of adapting traditional narratives to suit the context of modernity.

“I mean the kind of gods that Mags talks about in humanities class. The ones who sat up on Mount Olympus. In a way, those gods were like normal people—they messed up constantly, and they drove each other bonkers, and sometimes they played wild pranks. But they also had powers that regular people didn’t have, and they created chaos for everyone else.”

In the first interview of the novel, Diego compares Paulie to the deities in the Greek pantheon, using a simile to bridge the divine and mortal realms. He suggests that, like the gods, “normal people” exhibit human flaws and complexities. Likening the gods to “normal people” emphasizes their relatability and human-like behavior. The mention of gods creating chaos aligns with the theme of unconventional disruption seen throughout the novel. The enumeration of god-like behavior—messing up, driving each other bonkers, playing wild pranks—creates a vivid and comprehensive picture of the gods’ characteristics, making the analogy more impactful.

“Different kids, different sizes, different shades, different styles. Yet they seem united in their feeling about what’s appeared in the doorway. Whatever they expected, whatever they were cheering for, it’s not this.”

As Caitlyn surveys her peers, she captures the diversity of the students. The repetition of “different” emphasizes the distinct attributes of the students, reinforcing the idea that each one is unique in their own way.