Connected through Custom: Well Dressing in Jon McGregor’s Novel, <i>Reservoir 13</i>

Placing a calendar custom in fictional text opens wealth of possibilities to the writer: enabling new plots or changes trajectories; signposting critical information about place and pace, time timing; conveying communicating complex characters. In Reservoir 13, novel by Jon McGregor, well dressing appears not as superfluous detail, but an intentional device control manipulate text—and reader’s response it. Although mentions are fleeting, this article demonstrates how its inclusion, frequency use, enables writer develop sophisticated sense distinctive, memorable characters through few well-chosen words. The also aids readers their navigation structure which could otherwise prove difficult fathom, while simultaneously grounding when collective trauma may provoke feelings detachment isolation.