--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was something appealing in thinking…" description: "\"There was something appealing in thinking of a character with a secret life that her author knew nothing about. Slipping off while the author's back wa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/karen-joy-fowler-3727_books_there-was-something-appealing-in-thinkin_2291165.png" --- # There was something appealing in thinking of a character… ![“There was something appealing in thinking of a character with a secret life that her author knew nothing about. Slipping off while the author's back was turned, to find love in her own way. Showing up just in time to deliver the next bit of dialogue with an innocent face.” quote by Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/karen-joy-fowler-3727_books_there-was-something-appealing-in-thinkin_2291165.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/karen-joy-fowler-3727_books_there-was-something-appealing-in-thinkin_2291165.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/karen-joy-fowler-3727_books_there-was-something-appealing-in-thinkin_2291165.png) > “There was something appealing in thinking of a character with a secret life that her author knew nothing about. Slipping off while the author's back was turned, to find love in her own way. Showing up just in time to deliver the next bit of dialogue with an innocent face.” [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A narrator describes a secret life character who discovers love independently, highlighting innocence and timing. **In simple terms:** A secret-life character finds love on her own. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic self-discovery. Themes identity love secrecy Mood reflective introspective Type narrative character study When to use this quote - young adult fiction - coming‑of‑age stories Key Concepts character development narrative timing Questions to Reflect On - What does the secret reveal about agency? - How does timing shape narrative? A Different Perspective May romanticize secrecy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Finding love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-love/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-life/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I forgot that every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character, and that therefore what one has done in the secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-forgot-that-every-little-action-of-the-common-day-makes-or-unmakes/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [A character should always have a secret. I feel like we all do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-cannavale/a-character-should-always-have-a-secret-i-feel-like-we-all-do/) [Bobby Cannavale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-cannavale/) > [There is a wild side to every innocent face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/there-is-a-wild-side-to-every-innocent-face/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [Theres always a wild side to an innocent face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/theres-always-a-wild-side-to-an-innocent-face/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“but you Dorian, with your pure, bright, innocent face, and your marvelous untroubled youth - I can't believe anything against you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/but-you-dorian-with-your-pure-bright-innocent-face-and-your-marvelous/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [There is always a wild side to an innocent face ;) hehe xoxox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily/there-is-always-a-wild-side-to-an-innocent-face-hehe-xoxox/) [Lily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily/) > [“No child’s face is dirty even if it is muddy, because an innocent face has so much light that anything comes onto it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/no-child-s-face-is-dirty-even-if-it-is-muddy-because-an-innocent-face/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Theres a wild side to EVERY innocent face!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/theres-a-wild-side-to-every-innocent-face/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There’s always a wild side to an innocent face. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-akart/there-s-always-a-wild-side-to-an-innocent-face-in/) [Bobby Akart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-akart/) > [I have been very lucky, because I have quite an innocent face and a lot of people are looking for a character who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-fox/i-have-been-very-lucky-because-i-have-quite-an-innocent-face-and-a/) [Phoebe Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-fox/) > [I have a dirty mind but a innocent face :3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-snyder/i-have-a-dirty-mind-but-a-innocent-face-3/) [Stephanie Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-snyder/) > [“Mr. Cope...' Povy began. Jem narrowed his eyes. 'The lad has a remarkably innocent face.' 'Innocence is a time of life, not an irrevocable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/mr-cope-povy-began-jem-narrowed-his-eyes-the-lad-has-a-remarkably/) [Eloisa James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloisa-james/) > [Lies with innocent face, I love ur style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritesh/lies-with-innocent-face-i-love-ur-style/) [Ritesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritesh/) > [Adorable innocent face :3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massie-moxley/adorable-innocent-face-3/) [Massie Moxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massie-moxley/) > [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) ## More by Karen Joy Fowler > [In general, librarians enjoyed special requests. A reference librarian is someone who likes the chase. When librarians read for pleasure, they often pick a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/in-general-librarians-enjoyed-special-requests-a-reference-librarian/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [The sunset you see is always better than the one you don’t. More stars are always better than less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-sunset-you-see-is-always-better-than-the-one-you-don-t-more-stars/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“Je zou maar slecht over hem gaan denken en dat wil ik niet, want dat is mijn taak”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/je-zou-maar-slecht-over-hem-gaan-denken-en-dat-wil-ik-niet-want-dat/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [I'm unclear on the definition of person the courts have been using. Something that sieves out dolphins but lets corporations slide on through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/i-m-unclear-on-the-definition-of-person-the-courts-have-been-using/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“The secret to a good life,” he told me once, “is to bring your A game to everything you do. Even if all you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-secret-to-a-good-life-he-told-me-once-is-to-bring-your-a-game-to/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“So many problems, however infinitely varied they first appear, turn out to be matters of money. I can't tell you how much this offends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/so-many-problems-however-infinitely-varied-they-first-appear-turn-out/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“The world runs,” Lowell said, “on the fuel of this endless, fathomless misery. People know it, but they don’t mind what they don’t see.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-world-runs-lowell-said-on-the-fuel-of-this-endless-fathomless/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“I didn't want a world in which I had to choose between blind human babies and tortured monkey ones. To be frank, that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/i-didn-t-want-a-world-in-which-i-had-to-choose-between-blind-human/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“They never reminisced about the time they had to drive halfway back to Indianapolis because I’d left Dexter Poindexter, my terry-cloth penguin (threadbare, ravaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/they-never-reminisced-about-the-time-they-had-to-drive-halfway-back/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [I once broke up with a boy because he wrote me an awful poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/i-once-broke-up-with-a-boy-because-he-wrote-me-an-awful-poem/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“Here is my objection to submarines and space travel: not enough windows. What difference does it make if you're in outer space or underwater,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/here-is-my-objection-to-submarines-and-space-travel-not-enough/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [. . . strange and fantastic things really happen. During a rainstorm in Australia, fish fall from the sky; several Southern states consider legislation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/strange-and-fantastic-things-really-happen-during-a-rainstorm-in/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [Every mother can easily imagine losing a child. Motherhood is always half loss anyway. The three-year-old is lost at five, the five-year-old at nine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/every-mother-can-easily-imagine-losing-a-child-motherhood-is-always/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“...the world runs on the fuel of an endless, fathomless animal misery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-world-runs-on-the-fuel-of-an-endless-fathomless-animal-misery/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“He envied the bark, which had been, in the course of one lifetime, both forest and fire. One endured; one destroyed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/he-envied-the-bark-which-had-been-in-the-course-of-one-lifetime-both/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) [Explore all 122 Karen Joy Fowler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. 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