BtDS 5

Were the characters in Band the Drum Slowly realistic and believable? Why or why not?

I think that the characters (at least the two main characters) in BtDS were very believable. This is mostly because both Bruce Pearson and Henry Wiggen have little kinks and things that make them unique. The author spends a little time telling us about the characters and describes them, creating a depth in their character so that we can understand them a little bit better.
The author, Mark Harris, makes Bruce pretty quiet and not very bright. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Bruce doesn't say much and takes long pauses between ideas. The author gives the characters faults, which make them seem more like real people. An example of a fault that Henry has is that he considers cheating on his wife and therefore doesn't seem very loyal to her. I think this also shows a little bit of arrogance on Henry's part, as he assumed the woman he was considering cheating with would be willing, herself. Seeing as Henry was the star pitcher on his baseball team, this arrogance might very well be authentic and common among players of his stature.