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The title Things You Would Know If You Grew Up Around Here is actually really important to the novel – it refers to sections of exposition throughout the story. These “Things You Would Know” are bits of trivia and facts about the Texas Hill Country, and they work into the story in a larger way. For example, one of the things that you would know if you grew up in central Texas is what purple paint blazes on a fencepost mean. They are a universal warning sign against trespassers, and it is actually against the law to cross a boundary marked with purple blazes. We get this bit of trivia through the “Things You Would Know” exposition sections, and then a few pages later, we see the main character enter a property marked with purple blazes, knowing that there are consequences for doing so. Other “Things You Would Know” sections talk about the legend of treasure in San Saba County, and...[read on]
My Book, The Movie: Things You Would Know if You Grew Up Around Here.
Q&A with Nancy Wayson Dinan.
--Marshal Zeringue
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