A narrative hook is a literary technique used by authors to "hook" the reader into reading more; it grabs the reader's attention. It is generally a single sentence. It could be a quote, a bold statement, a definition, or a question.
Freak the Mighty begins by using a bold statement hook. The narrator, Max, tells the reader:
I never had a brain until Freak came along and let me borrow his for a while,...
A narrative hook is a literary technique used by authors to "hook" the reader into reading more; it grabs the reader's attention. It is generally a single sentence. It could be a quote, a bold statement, a definition, or a question.
Freak the Mighty begins by using a bold statement hook. The narrator, Max, tells the reader:
I never had a brain until Freak came along and let me borrow his for a while, and that's the truth, the whole truth.
The statement works to grab the reader's attention because it causes the reader to question the validity of such a "truthful" statement. How is it possible to not have a brain? How is it possible to borrow a brain? Who is Freak?
What I really like about Max's opening narration is that he is not content with using a single narrative hook. His first sentence and paragraph are sufficient as a hook, but he practically begins the second paragraph with a fresh hook. This second attention grabber is a combination of two types. It begins with Max making an odd statement about the fact that people called him "Kicker" for a time, and then Max tells the reader the story about how he got the nickname. This is an anecdotal narrative hook, and it is a great one in my opinion. It combines information about Max and his past, and it gives the reader a little bit more information about Freak in order to remind the reader of the first paragraph. Finally, Max's anecdote about making up games to kick people contains enough humor to keep propelling the reader forward.
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