Ownership of Stories

Throughout Commonwealth, the author demonstrates that stories belong not only to the people involved, but also to the people directly impacted by the course of events. Being let in on those stories is a privilege and when that privilege is abused, the consequences can be painful. In one sense, this means that stories belong principally to the participants and witnesses of the events, but also that ‘ownership’ involves taking care of and protecting the stories. The consequences of failing to do so, whether it be sharing the stories with the wrong audience, intentionally altering the story, or simply failing to pass the story on can lead to considerable grief.

In Commonwealth, the consequence for each of these breaches is critical to development of the plot. Franny shares the story of her childhood, including the story of Cal’s death with Leo Posen, who pens...