I think what I enjoyed is the connection done by Trout in regards to the death of Denise’s husband. You wouldn’t really see it coming until the moment Henry Thibodeau’s death comes along and then you remember that it is kind of hinted at in the introduction of Tony Kuzio.
I think the lack of a proper love story, a substantial touchy-feely kind of love, is what makes this story great. There is a distance between Henry and his wife, and Henry and Denise. Now, I feel like there shouldn’t be a love story going on between Henry and Olive, his wife. Olive is written as a woman who seems to hate everything and always have something negative to say about everyone. Yet, Trout makes no indication in her story that Henry hates her back. I feel like this shows Henry’s pettiness, and it heightens when he falls in love with Denise.
The death of Denise’s husband is also a turning point for both Henry and Denise, to tell the truth — it is basically the crux of the story. But, death is a huge turning point, which is why Trout uses this in her story. This shows an impact in the lives of all those affected and those close to the affected.
Again, in the end, we get another plot twist. The thing is that Trout makes us believe that somehow Denise and Henry will get together, as if somehow Henry will let go of Olive. Yet, we see Denise with Jesse, who to tell the truth, is foreseeable if you catch onto his and Denise’s’ interaction. There is evidence that they could get together by the small talks they have. The plot is structured in a way that we never really knows what happens next, and when it does happen, we readers are left with a mild surprise.