Open questions
Decisions the art director has to make before the look of the book is set. Nothing on this page has been decided yet. Open threads are things the text leaves unsaid; contradictions are places where the text disagrees with itself. Click any item marked ¶ to read the passages involved, with the quotes highlighted.
Decisions made (art director, 17 October 2026)
| # | Decision | Text says | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Sergio's hair | "amber-highlighted but originally dark hair" | Spiky copper-amber hair with short sides, from the art director's reference¶ 1 |
| D2 | Sergio's hoodie | his mother's "enormous" black zip-up sweatshirt | A fitted black zip hoodie, from the reference¶ 1 |
| D3 | Sergio's piercing | "his pierced eyebrow" | A small dangling earring, from the reference¶ 1 |
| D4 | The look of the book | not described | A real live-action movie; only the living binderclips are drawn on |
| D5 | Where a binderclip's face goes | not described | Inside the see-through silver handle loop, never on the black body |
Open threads
- Where Reece is.¶ 2
- Who the blonde woman with blue eyes on Sergio's board is.¶ 1
- Kwame: friend, foe or watcher ("Seth?",
P4·Ch1).¶ 3 - The man in red socks and his "sir".¶ 1
- Valerie Aurelio: is the meeting on the train a coincidence.¶ 1
- What the December 15th "market" is, and what exactly is sold in the "den".¶ 5
- The Igor → The Bandit link (so far this is Sergio's inference).¶ 2
- The gum and the peanut-butter jar in Sergio's apartment.¶ 2
- Percy and Maya.¶ 1
- Sergio's promise to give the binderclips "a real job": he's been fired, and the promise is hanging.¶ 3
Contradictions in the text
Click a row to read every passage involved. Details are in each character's section on the Characters page.
| # | Who | Contradiction | Details in |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | Sergio | Age: 18–20 or 21 | Sergio¶ 6 |
| C2 | Sergio | Locket silver or "golden" | Sergio¶ 3 |
| C3 | Sergio | Revolver or "rifle" | Sergio¶ 2 |
| C4 | Sergio | Origins: Portuguese, Spanish, Mexico or California | Sergio¶ 5 |
| C5 | Sergio | Rank: sergeant or "General" | Sergio¶ 3 |
| C6 | Pablo | Eyes green or amber | Sergio, Ana & Pablo¶ 2 |
| C7 | Connor | Skin pale or tan | Connor¶ 2 |
| C8 | Connor | "fought against my own men" or victim of an enemy ambush | Connor¶ 2 |
| C9 | Connor | Scottish accent and Scotland's Celtic, or the Boston Celtics | Connor¶ 3 |
| C10 | Sunny | Eyes: green-amber, sage, amber, green, amber-green | Sunny¶ 6 |
| C11 | Maya | Hair: dark brown, light amber, hazelnut, hazel | Maya and Ruth¶ 4 |
| C12 | Quinn | Hair thin or "bushy"; glasses "ruby" or "square" | Quinn¶ 4 |
| C13 | Dubaloms | Haircut dark or blonde (Todd) | The Dubaloms¶ 2 |
| C14 | Dubaloms | Only Rodd speaks English, yet Todd speaks it fluently | The Dubaloms¶ 2 |
| C15 | Timeline | "But it's Sunday…?" on a Saturday | The world in brief¶ 2 |
| C16 | A Platoon | Charles and Geremiah go on patrol, yet lie dead in the tent | A Platoon¶ 2 |
| C17 | Connor's View | Slips into the third person; part of the cell conversation missing | A Platoon¶ 3 |
| C18 | Superintendent Smith | Ryan calls him Superintendent; Bulb says the office was "Inspector Smith's" | Scenes¶ 2 |
| C19 | Sergio | Shoes: white Nikes in his building, torn-up black Converse at the station the same day | Scenes¶ 2 |
| C20 | Ryan's office | On the third floor in one chapter, the second floor in the next | Scenes¶ 2 |
| C21 | Maya and Ruth | Sunny's introduction points to Blue Bow and Pink Bow in the reverse order | Maya and Ruth¶ 1 |
| C22 | The binderclips | During the break-in they ride in his uniform's front pocket, then he shoves them into his hood | Scenes¶ 2 |
| C23 | Arabella | She holds a takeout coffee, then pulls a ceramic mug out of her tiny clutch | Arabella¶ 2 |
| C24 | The locked room | Called a bedroom, later an attic with a slanted roof; white wallpaper with blue flowers, later grayish | Places¶ 3 |
| C25 | Time of day | At the casino it is "at least noon"; on the stairs soon after it is "barely 6pm" | Scenes¶ 1 |
| C26 | Ed the laptop | A "smooth silver laptop" in Chapter 1, a "bulky laptop" in Chapter 3 | Ed¶ 2 |
| C27 | The tent in Iraq | Seven bunks for about ten soldiers | A Platoon¶ 1 |
| C28 | The infirmary | The woman in uniform is "tall", then "maybe Laker's age" (a young girl) | A Platoon¶ 2 |