How It Feels To Float

Photography is a motif in the novel that charts Biz’s progress toward acceptance and recovery. As part of Bridgit’s therapy, she suggests that Biz join a gym or take a community college class. Biz decides to take a photography class, largely because it will give her a chance to feel close to her father, as she can use his bulky old camera. The novel reveals that photography plays an important role in Biz’s recovery; as Biz takes photos of the world around her, they begin to tell her their stories, allowing her to connect to people, places, and objects in the outside world. Although Biz’s medication ultimately makes the photos stop talking to her, her practice of photography and her communication with the photos is an important first step in her reestablishing a connection with life.

Photography helps Biz understand the difference between the present and the past. When she looks at her family photos, hoping to discover something more about her roots, Biz finds those pictures are silent. One the other hand, the images she takes of her neighborhood tell her their stories, and she begins to understand that she can take an active interest in the world around her.