What is the author's tone in the novel, Opioid, Indiana?

The novel’s prose supports both the bleak and hopeful nature of the story’s tone. Although the novel is replete with heavy subject matter and tragic events, the presentation of the story often highlights fairly uplifting and hopeful ideas. For example, Riggle has faced—and continues to face—many difficult events in his life. His parents died when he was young, and he now lives with his drug-addicted, physically abusive uncle. However, Riggle is still able to see the positive aspects of his life, such as when he states in narration that “my uncle’s was the easiest place I’d ever lived” (22). This dynamic is paralleled and emphasized in the Remote stories, which often feature dark narrative elements but generally end with uplifting morals.

The novel also applies this mixture of somberness and uplift when addressing societal issues. In that context, the function of the tonal mixture is to recognize the persistent problems in America and to encourage action in response to those issues. For example, the novel makes several references to gun violence and school shootings, which are unfortunately very relevant issues in the United States. However, the final chapter contains a scene in which Riggle and Bennet participate in the nationwide anti-gun protest of March 14, 2018: “On March 14, we walked out of school and stood for seventeen minutes in the cold to sort of pay tribute to the kids who died in the Florida shooting” (205). The novel both recognizes the reality of such tragic issues and the necessity of employing unified social action to address those issues.