When the World Tips Over

Ephemera are typically described as printed documents designed to have a short life and not considered worth preserving. Examples are ticket stubs, posters, greeting cards, or menus. Ephemera can have historic or academic value, and for this reason are sometimes collected. In the novel, fictional ephemera are included to offer exposition, further atmosphere, describe characters, and enhance conflict. Excerpts from the local newspaper the Paradise Gazette, for example, create a sense of mystery around the supposed resurrection and subsequent disappearance of Theo Fall. Dizzy’s menu for her funeral reflects her character’s interest in food and also a sense of her personality. Miles’s emails to his father and the log of his call to a depression hotline capture his sense of despair. Marigold’s scraps of stories give Cassidy, and thus the reader, glimpses into Marigold’s emotional state. Bernadette’s unsent letters, addressed to various recipients, serve an important plot element in conveying the backstory that tells the reader about her relationship with Theo, and with Clive, that led to Theo’s departure. As such, the ephemera offer several additional perspectives on the narrative, while creating stylistic variation and allowing for a polyphony of voices.

When the World Tips Over is heavy with foreshadowing, hints and clues at future events that offer mystery and suspense that keep the reader hooked. Cassidy’s choice to tell her story in four betrayals, for instance, foreshadows the emotional turns of her narrative. The frequent supposed sightings of Theo Fall around Paradise Springs, which initially seem only to mean that many people were attached to Theo, foreshadow the revelation that Theo has returned many times to gain glimpses into his children’s lives. Dave Caputo is introduced first in Wynton’s perspective as “a sad old guy who somehow lost his family and looked it” (79). The reader will later learn that Dave, in fact, lost two families; this initial reference gains greater emotional depth once later events unfold. This frequent interweaving of small hints and clues enhances the emotional resonance and lend the sense of a tightly woven texture to the novel.