Slob

“My name is Owen Birnbaum, and I’m probably fatter than you are.”

The first line of the novel gives an added significance to weight by surprising the reader with directness; it is also an example of direct address that creates a conversational tone between the narrator and reader. These overt techniques encourage a surface-level reading.

“I go to Martha Doxie School in New York City. A three-story redbrick nightmare of educational progress.”

Owen provides an ironic description of the school he attends, with the contradiction between nightmare and progress suggesting the school he attends is unsuccessful in its mission. His description also alludes to the multi-layered social interactions that are central to the narrative.

“Exhibit A: My missing Oreo cookies.”

Owen’s legal language is a humorous allusion to the genre of the novel. As a mystery, the crime is the focus of the action, and Owen’s introduction sets up one of the story’s central conflicts.