As a reader, you’re often inside one or more characters’ heads, so you know what they’re feeling, even if they can’t exactly say it, or they say it so obliquely that the other characters don’t catch it. Readers are frequently reminded of the gulf between what people say and what they mean, and such moments prod us to become more attuned to gesture, tone, and language. After all, we each reveal ourselves through a dizzying number of what poker players call “tells”—verbal and visual clues that display true intention to anyone observant enough to notice them. Mom was a reader and a listener. When
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