All the Pretty Stars

Abstract

The thesis comprises a creative element entitled All the Pretty Stars (ATPS) and an exegetical element entitled Writing a Millennial Novel.

The creative element of the thesis, ATPS, is a millennial novel. The novel explores a fictional police investigation into an extreme fundamentalist Christian sect called Serenity Cove, which results from accusations made by one of the protagonists, Elijah Fortitude, of forced marriage and physical abuse within the community.

Set from 2010 to 2011, the novel jumps between the perspectives of those in the police special task force running the investigation and those living in the community. Several chapters, however, dip into memories of key characters at various stages through their lives to support and give context to the story.

The novel takes the reader on a journey through the investigation, allowing them to piece together what has happened. This is a fictional work. However, the story will be informed by research from a number of references as detailed in the reading list I have developed.

Each chapter is primarily told from the perspective of a character, sometimes switching between two characters who are interacting within the same scene. I intentionally chose to tell the story from the perspective of multiple characters so the reader would not be too biased by the views and opinions of one character in particular. This allows the story to speak for itself.

The exegetical element of the thesis is called Writing a Millennial Novel. In my exegesis, I discuss my motivations behind writing a millennial novel and my hopes for how it might help others to feel more understood and less alone. I also discuss the importance of place and time and how that has influenced me as I wrote ATPS.