I haven’t shared a “sneak peek” into the in-progress sequel in a while. So, I thought, why not? As with previous “peeks,” this one may make the final novel after a cleaning up.
[***** Warning: STOP here if you have not read Passports, think you might, and care about “spoilers.” There is a pretty large “spoiler” below in the next paragraph, as well as several in the “sneak peek.” *****]
[***** I told you to STOP! *****] 😉
Here, we have Marcel, Isabelle’s World War II veteran father. A couple of days after Virginie’s car crash, while dressing he drifts momentarily into disjointed reflections about his life, Isabelle growing up, her friends…. and one friend in particular. (Click to enlarge it.) I hope you enjoy it:
We know how our minds work. They’re a mess. Our thoughts bounce around, often in flashes.

So there are times a brief “internal monologue” is a useful device. It can convey important “backstory” information that is too clumsy to fit into conversation. As above, it might go on for however long within the text, yet take up only a few moments in “real” time.