“Mean Streak” by Sandra Brown: Italics & Namelessness

Two Uses of Italics

1.“Push on, Emory. Place one foot in front of the other. Eat up the distance one yard at a time” (1, p.1): Third-person voice in her head, probably from an alternate personality.

2. “How much farther to go? God, please not much farther” (1, p. 2): First-person thoughts of her regular personality, with italics used only for emphasis.

Nameless Hero

For much of this novel, the big, strong, invincible hero, who rescues and romances Emory, a pediatrician, refuses to disclose his name. Reasons are given for hiding his identity, but they may be rationalizations. His name is eventually disclosed.

Comment: Namelessness, a recurring subject in this blog, is common in multiple personality:

“Many personality systems will have one or more “unnamed” personalities…Most of the “unnamed” personalities will turn out to have names as the therapy progresses. Many alternate personalities are unwilling to reveal their names early in the course of therapy, because this knowledge allows the therapist to call them out. It is important to learn each personality’s name and to use it in working with that personality as part of the patient’s system. Chapter Six covers ways of learning about the names and functions of the alternate personalities in a patient’s personality system” (2, p. 117).

Gratuitous symptoms of multiple personality in a novel probably reflect the author’s multiple personality trait, a creative asset.

1. Sandra Brown. Mean Streak. New York, Grand Central Publishing, 2014.

2. Frank W. Putnam, MD. Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder. New York, The Guilford Press, 1989.