A parallel novel owes its basic structure to a work by a
different author. It can borrow a character and fill in his
story, mirror an “old” plot or blend the characters of one book
with those of another. For instance…. Pap is a minor character
in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He appears
in the early chapters to claim Huck’s money and then in a
harrowing incident provides Huck with a good reason to run away.
Though his role is small, he is so well drawn that he is easily
one of the most hateful characters in American literature. Using
the few details Twain has provided, Jon Clinch fills in Pap’s
story in Finn, his debut novel. It is a chilling story that
opens with a body floating down the Mississippi, a situation
that will have a profound effect on Pap, who is one of the most
disreputable men in the village. Little Women, Louisa May
Alcott’s classic novel, tells about a year in the life of the
March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Their father has gone off
to fight in the Civil War leaving t