Journal #5 - Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

ZZ Packer’s unique writing style immediately captured my attention with its witty and edgy sense of liveliness. As I began reading the chapter on Brownies from her book titled “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere”, I instantly felt as if each sentence was full of detail and a true, honest feeling for every word written. The first paragraph alone was full of imaginative specifics which made me feel like I could picture the scene she described so effectively. Her use of metaphors took me by surprise because they were original and unexpected. My personal favorite was one that read, “…with their long, shampoo-commercial hair, straight as spaghetti from the box.” Packer’s writing style is fearless of using bold wording and takes a risk of readers either turning away from her book or being completely captivated. Her anecdotes are packed with alluring description that absorbs the reader’s interest. The dialogue has an uncommon place in the middle of narrative paragraphs; however it works well because it is relevant and understandable. Packer’s use of similes was creative and painted a clear picture of what she was comparing the first object to. Even though you would expect Brownie troupes to consist of innocent little girls “looking all around them like tourists determined to be dazzled”, as Packer phrases it, this chapter portrayed the girls as clever and not as naïve as we would like to think.