Measha Brueggergosman on the characters in Company Town
On Day Three of Canada Reads, the contending panellists got the opportunity to address criticisms of the book made by viewers on social media. Measha Brueggergosman had a memorable moment when she eloquently responded to a Facebook user who agreed Company Town was inclusive, but felt most of the characters weren't three-dimensional.
"I don't think that's unfair," Measha said. "I think [lead character] Hwa is by far the most fleshed-out character. But she protects a teenage boy who does fall in love with her in his way. He's awkward and gangly. He is a misfit … but he's brilliant … and we're seeing this from the first-person omniscient point of view of Hwa, which is why it feels like the characters aren't fully fleshed out. [Compare that to] Daniel, who Hwa describes in greater detail because of her love for him — and that's how we know she's in love with him. Because she can't stop talking about him. She can't stop thinking about how his voice feels in her body. Zachariah Lynch is her boss so he is noticeably distant from her because she has to maintain that distance because he's the one who pays her bills. I think all of the distance that we feel to the characters in the book is created on purpose because we see them through the omniscient perspective of Hwa."