It's "First Line Friday" again. Today's first line is a great one for memorizing, if you are in the business of memorizing first lines:
"I knew her eight years ago."
Now, I like this line. I don't love it, but I do think it's a good first line. I like that it's concise (very concise . . . 6 words), but completely introduces the reader to the subject, which is obviously a girl. But, I also wonder about its efficacy? Does it work? Is too basic?
The writer, of course, is Phillip Roth. The novel is The Dying Animal.
I think I like it.
ReplyDeleteShort, sweet, starts us off as if we're in the middle of a conversation, tells us we're going to be looking back in time, and tells us the girl/story is remarkable enough to be remembered eight years later. I would read on.
As for the picture of Roth, I don't think I've ever seen him so young. I've always thought he looked a lot like Larry Mankin, but I don't see it in that pic.