Ever since I began looking at books from a writer’s perspective (in addition to a reader’s), I’ve heard that a book’s first line is the best way to hook or lose your reader. So much so that, in this economy, many books make it or break it based on their opening words.
No pressure for the writer, huh?
Are we so desperate for immediate gratification that we’d put away a book we’ve committed to reading, only because its first few words failed to impress us?
Whatever happened to: “Don’t judge a book by its first line?” Okay, I made that up but that’s how I feel sometimes. But then, I’ve also never subscribed to the belief: First impressions are the best impressions.
Besides, whether a sentence does it for you or not, I think, is entirely subjective.
I’ve yet to set aside a book because its first line didn’t live up to my expectations. Having said that, I have come across books that opened with much promise in their very first words—they tickled my imagination about what genre they could be; whether I needed to suspend my reality and wear my fantastical hat; or if I should to tighten my seat belt and prepare for a breathless ride through a culture foreign to me.
There have also been times when my first impressions proved to be completely baseless in how clever/satisfactory/feel-good-read the book turned out to be in the end.
Here are the first lines from some books in my bookshelf, in no particular order.
- The old woman remembered a swan she had bought many years ago in Shanghai for a foolish sum.
The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
- In a town called Stonetown, near a port called Stonetown Harbor, a boy named Reynie Muldoon was preparing to take an important test.
The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
- He left the coffee-scented warmth of the Main Street Grill and stood for a moment under the green awning.
At Home in Mitford, Jan Karon
- Nailer clambered through a service duct, tugging at copper wire and yanking it free.
Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi
- Precious Ramotswe was sitting at her desk at the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in Gaborone.
The Full Cupboard of Life, Alexander McCall Smith
- Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.
The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
- The conch shell sounded, like the mountain’s deep call to the sky, and Mira knew they had entered the palace.
Follow the Cowherd Boy, J.A. Joshi
- “Eh, Tree-Ear! Have you hungered well today?” Crane-man called out as Tree-ear drew near the bridge.
A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park
Has the first line in a book ever impressed you adversely enough to stop reading that book?
I don’t judge a book based on its first line, or its first chapter for that matter. For example, none of the above first lines sound very interesting to me, but that’s not going to stop me from reading a particular book. The author needs some time to get us acquainted with the setting and characters, and that’s why the first chapters often seem a bit slow.
That is how I see it, too. Where’s the fun if the reader doesn’t have to work some at getting to know the characters and setting?
Thans for stopping by and sharing your view with us!
I second Zen (except the line about the half-blood, I loved that one! ;-)) – I judge the book by the cover and blurb, once I bought it, I’ll read it. I very rarely find something I can’t finish (south American authors come to mind, or literary fiction. But if there’s a story and it’s moving, I’ll just go for the ride!).
I’m happy to her everyone (who left a comment here) thinks to how I do when it comes to first lines! You should try The Lightning Thief, from which I took the half-blood line. It’s a funny and interesting book.
Nice post! Perhaps not the first line, but the first few paragraphs certainly can turn me off a book. I also like ruminating over books where every line is near perfect, yet the whole fails to leave me impressed.
Thanks, JM. You know, I’ve heard a couple of my friends mention books where every sentence was so perfect and pretty that they tired them out. I have yet to come across one of those. Would be interested for me to see how I respond to it :).
Had that issue with most of Murakami’s stories (though I haven’t read What I talk about.. , which i’ve heard is different from the others) :)
Something to do with lost/added in translation, maybe? Nevertheless, you’ve whetted my appetite. Haruki Murakami is on my list (however long it may be) now. Thanks! :)
Not the first line for sure! There is so much more to discover in a book. I’d definitely give it a few chapters before putting it down. I did, however, come by one very recently that I did have to put down after a few lines…
Exactly! For instance, I recently started a book by a new author and realized that the first chapter was filled with every no-no I ever heard about writing in it. It was a major info dump via a letter. Gah! But I kept with it because the premise was right up my alley. And by the third chapter I was hooked and it turned out to be a reasonably good read.
I’ve always thought that all that talk about first lines is over-rated. I concentrate on the best way to tell the story, not how I can best stun the reader with my cleverness.
Jai
PS: I was so charmed to see that you’d quoted my book!
Haha! I love how you put it: stunning the reader with your cleverness. And I loved Follow the Cowherd Boy, so it was only natural that I include it in this post :).
I give a book 50 pages before I quit it. I think it’s only happened three times, since I began writing.
I find I’m a little more reluctant to put away a book unfinished since I started writing, too. Mostly because I know how much sweat and blood goes into each word and sentence, not to mention plot point. ;-)