That's Not What Happened

As part of her truth-telling mission, Lee shares information about each victim through written portraits. These portraits appear as a recurring motif in the novel. Lee’s goal is to help others see each victim as an individual with traits and characteristics; in this way, they might be remembered for more than their label as a victim of a tragic shooting. Lee also wants to elevate the importance of each victim compared to Sarah, whose name was mentioned the most in the aftermath thanks to the false narrative surrounding her death: “There was so much coverage about Sarah, but the other people who died were pretty much forgotten within a few weeks. They quickly became the unnamed dead, just a part of the ‘nine killed’” (64). For these reasons, the portraits symbolize individuality and each person’s importance in the bigger picture.

To accomplish these goals, Lee turns to other survivors for help; the survivor who knows the victim best authors the portrait. In this way, Lee frames the portrait through a particular lens or perspective of intimacy, with sometimes surprising results. Characteristic quirks like Jared’s preference for role-playing games and startling traits like Aiden’s quick gravitation to other girls upon breaking up with Brenna are noted, showing Lee and eventually readers that one’s perspective paints a particular version of truth. In this way, the portraits connect to and help develop the theme of The Complexities of Truth and Perspective.