It is essential to the success of any form of entertainment, whatever the medium, to be able to capture the interest of the target audience. Kurt Palka does this perfectly in his novel The Piano Maker by creating constant suspense, so the reader always wants to know what happens next. This effect is achieved by using literary features such as setting, foreshadowing, and flashbacks. Kurt Palka masterfully uses these literary devices in his novel to construct a captivating plot with high emotional stakes, tension and suspense. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The main setting of the novel is Saint Homais, a small, quiet town on the French coast of Nova Scotia. This setting symbolizes a new beginning for Hélène, a peaceful and calm place, far from her tumultuous past life. This is why the reader is deeply touched when a local police officer tells him the following: “I have here before me a warrant to give notice and apprehend. You are to be detained based on new evidence relating to the unnatural death of Mr Nathan Homewood. . .” (Palka 59). In the early parts of the book, Hélène adapts to her new environment and settles into her new life in Saint Homais. Almost the entire city welcomes him with warmth and love. When the revelation breaks that she may be a murderer, it's a crisis that devastates her entire world. Everything she has worked so hard to build in her new life is crumbling. The city that once welcomed him so kindly is now rather cold and distant towards him. Because the reader understands the crushing effect that being accused of murder has on her and how desperately Helene wants to prove her innocence, it raises the reader's emotional stakes and allows suspense and tension to build. be more powerful. The author uses foreshadowing very heavily. throughout the book as he slowly reveals more about Helene's past to the reader. An example of foreshadowing that particularly stands out is when Helen has a nightmare about the accident involving Nathan. This dream foreshadows the central plot and climax of the novel, but it is carefully worded in order to keep the reader uncertain and eager to know more. The passage gives little bits describing the accident, like a horror cave and darkness and blood in the snow. Then the author begins to hint at a so-called “outcome” of the accident, as the narrator says: “She knew the outcome well by now. . . It happened mercilessly, like blows to a terrified child, and she rarely woke up before it happened. But that night, she did it. »(Palka 11). The author leaves it there and does not describe what the “result” is. Throughout this passage, the author's language remains vague, avoiding going into the details of the accident. The choice of words focuses on the incoherent sensations Helene experiences in her nightmare instead of painting a clear picture. In doing so, the author manages to create suspense, and this foreshadowing leaves the reader anxious until the whole truth about the accident is revealed. The novel constantly cuts back and forth between Hélène's past and present through a plethora of flashbacks. . These flashbacks form a distinct storyline about Helene's past that eventually merges with the present plot. The way Palka cleverly uses flashbacks allows the two storylines to flow together, which in turn increases the suspense. The two plots begin to merge just after a flashback to Helene's past linked to, 2015.