OddWhat does it take to make a human what he is? What influences affect each person in our rotating world? Is it the parents and what love does each apply to raising an individual? Is it the environment they were born into? Humans are unpredictable at best, and when someone says they understand humans, they are wrong. We are creatures of habit that are never the same due to the influences around us. In Dean Koontz's book, Odd Thomas, the life of a young man is laid bare before us. The protagonist of the book is a 20-year-old named Odd Thomas. Odd is a French fry cook in a restaurant in a small California town called Pico Mundo. His life is described as fairly normal except that Odd has the ability to see the dead. More importantly, not only does he see the dead, but he also has the ability to seemingly help the dead right the wrongs of their lives. The book is written in the first person and tells Odd's account of a major event that occurred in August, in the sleepy town of Pico Mundo. Through its narrative and story, we see not only what is happening, but also the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist. Koontz's book, Odd Thomas, uses influences in the story to provide a compelling characterization of a well-rounded main character who had an interesting life. Let's start by looking at Odd's past. His mother raised him with the help of his grandmother, Pearl Sugars, who was away from the gambling circuit most of the time. Odd's mother was powerless to raise him; his inability to deal with any type of problem is evident. This is personified on page 376 when Odd tells a story about his childhood. While suffering from the flu when he was about five years old, he cried and suffered for his mother to come...... middle of paper ...... flips through the pages while Odd conveys his thoughts for the book. This gives us insight into Odd and the influences in his life. Although not all of them are listed here, those that are play a central role in his life; something he seems to become more and more aware of as this story progresses. It's as if Koontz is trying to tell us a little about ourselves, that while we may have had influences like our family, there are many others who help us become the beings we are. Humans are the product of influences, but since no two humans are influenced by the exact same things, how can we know what others want, need, or feel? This story is a nice adaptation of that very concept with a little mystique added to keep it and the story interesting. Works Cited Koontz, Dean R. Odd Thomas: An Odd Thomas Novel. New York: Bantam, 2012. Print.