“Unbroken” is one of those books that grabs you from the very beginning. You're hooked, and nothing else is going to get done. Not the dirty dishes, emails, phone calls or laundry. You'll be in seclusion with a New York Bestseller book.
Laura Hillenbrand is my hero. She's mastered the gift of precise writing. If only I could construct an opening paragraph like this,
“All he could see, in every direction, was water. It was late June 1943. Somewhere on the endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Army Air Force
bombardier and Olympic runner Louie Zamperini lay across a small raft, drifting westward. Slumped alongside him was a sergeant, one of his plane's gunners. On a separate raft, tethered to the first, lay another crewman, a gash zigzagging across his forehead. Their bodies, burned by the sun and stained yellow from the raft dye, had withered down to skeletons. Sharks glided in lazy loops around them, dragging their backs along the rafts, waiting.”
bombardier and Olympic runner Louie Zamperini lay across a small raft, drifting westward. Slumped alongside him was a sergeant, one of his plane's gunners. On a separate raft, tethered to the first, lay another crewman, a gash zigzagging across his forehead. Their bodies, burned by the sun and stained yellow from the raft dye, had withered down to skeletons. Sharks glided in lazy loops around them, dragging their backs along the rafts, waiting.”
What makes this paragraph so appealing is the strong descriptive words. The who, what, when, and why is answered in a way that the reader can visualize everything that's happening as if they're watching it on a screen. It's clean, tight writing with a little bit of a mystery to leave the reader wanting more. I certainly did.
I'm going to have to read this book! I am always amazed when authors craft an opening sentence or paragraph so beautifully. I think the imagery in this opening is what seals the deal for the reader.
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