Does interactive fiction in Pry enhance and improve
the experience of the story?

Pry is an intricately designed interactive text created by Danny Cannizzaro & Samantha Gorman for Tender Claws. It can best be described as as a novella combined with film; Pry requires the readers participation in various ways. These include prying open paragraphs with the fingers, swiping across the screen to trigger audio which reads the text aloud, and tapping the screen to pass through film footage.

The text is detailed and layered, following the journey of James, a demolition expert who has recurring memories of his time in the First Gulf War. We encounter the people in his life through video clips shot from his perspective, putting us in his place. This makes it easier for us to relate to James by seeing ourselves in his position, inspiring stronger empathy than what is felt in other traditional texts. By literally prying his eyes open, we are admitted a sense of a body functioning under our control, from the subconscious to the physical. The narrative is fluid, and by immersing us visually as well as sonically, we as the reader become more invested in the story. Our attention never wanes because we don’t want to miss anything.

James’ gradual degeneration into blindness is visually expressed through various effects. These include blurred images, blackness swallowing up the screen, and most notably the use of brail. Symbols appear on the screen in the form of brail marks, and when we drag our finger over them horizontally, James’ voice translates the text aloud. This is not only a way to communicate the protagonist’s situation, but also a feature that forces us to participate in the text, and physically move the narrative forward. The awareness of developing blindness is, therefor, ever present in our minds, and we are not only informed of it, but are giving the chance to experience it.

By literally opening the James’ eyes, then his memories, we become connected to his story and experience a control that is not communicated with traditional paper books. In Pry, the narrative cannot thrive without the experience of ‘prying’ apart the text, and in turn the experience of prying and touching the screen has no relevance without the narrative. They are both very co-dependent.

While traditional texts provide no distractions, and the reader can completely immerse themselves into a state of meditative assimilation, interactive texts draw the reader into new areas of the story.

By showing our progress in the form of stars, we are able to see how thoroughly we have explored the text, a feature that is not available in traditional paper texts. This makes the reading process easier, and we may feel more confident about our understanding of the story as a result.

In conclusion, Pry offers a visual and physical experience that enriches the journey of a literary narrative. It is completely unlike anything a traditional text can offer, it is an alternative method of reading, stretching the readers perception and definition of what it means to read.