Memories show important life events of certain characters and when flashbacks are presented, it helps significantly to develop the storyline as well as allow the audience to discover new things. Growing up, Matt Miller had many moments with his mother, so when she passed away, his thoughts were consumed by his mother’s memories. Flashbacks that were used throughout the story were evidence of how much Matt loved his mom. Other memories also showed a link between major characters which contributed to the story plot. In The Boy in the Black Suit, Jason Reynolds uses flashbacks to emphasize the love and grief which Matt experiences, as well as strengthen his relationships with other important characters.

The main character, Matt Miller, experiences flashbacks of moments he spent with his mother that exhibit love and affection, allowing the reader to realize the grief and emotional state in which Matt is undergoing. Some of those memories took place in the kitchen where Mrs. Miller spent quality time with her son cooking. She had made a sentimental cookbook filled with recipes of food made with love and Matt knew the contents, which is why he couldn’t bear opening it up knowing she was no longer there to cook with him. Matt closed the notebook immediately and from his perspective we hear, “...I couldn’t do it. Her handwriting, I could hear her voice...NO!” (Reynolds, 31). Trying to cope with the emotions that came along with his mother’s death, Matt found himself sitting in on strangers’ funerals. He didn’t know why, “I just all of a sudden wanted to. I needed to.” (Reynolds, 19). Since he was going through this difficult time, it affected his actions. He later explains to the reader, “Nothing helps. I knew that. Every time I saw them, the closest ones, bent over in tears, it felt like a warm rain came down inside me. Even though I couldn’t help them and they couldn’t help me, just knowing we were all struggling with this thing… that helped.” (Reynolds, 114). The author shows how Matt is affected and the emotions that he is experiencing through flashbacks which allow the reader to infer what his relationship was like with his mother. As the reader, you can relate to the main character on a personal level for example, if you have a relationship similar to theirs or if you’ve ever lost someone dear to you, which helps throughout the book’s conveyance.

Chris is Matt’s best friend since they were young and the author tells the story of how they became so close by using a flashback. One night, Matt slept over at Chris’ house when they were both little boys, and that was when they witnessed a murder outside the door. This incident was the night, “that Chris and I went from good friends to best friends.” (Reynolds, 43). Described in detail of the occurrence that night was the flashback which formed imagery in the reader’s mind and helped to explain the events which led to their close bond. Chris played a major role in Matt’s life and without his friendship, Matt would have struggled, and things might not have played out the way they did, so that moment in time was a crucial incident to the plot.

Their relationship wasn’t the only one that was tied together with a knot, Matt later on found out that he was linked to Lovey, who is his love interest. That same murder incident killing a young woman which Matt witnessed with Chris before, ended up being Love’s mother. When they both discovered this, they were shocked by fate’s work in their lives, but they didn’t start to drift apart, the flashback ended up pulling them together as told in the story, “...we could’ve decided to see it as a sign to at least go on a real date. I mean, we definitely had a moment, even if it was caused by the worst possible situation ever. Lucky for me, Lovey felt the same way and chose real date.” (Reynolds, 227). The flashback in the story allowed Matt and Lovey to establish that connection between the two and strengthened their relationship while bringing the reader along with them in their experience.

Everything worked out between the story plot and the reader’s experience because of the author’s inclusion of certain literary techniques. Matt’s feelings of love and grief were highlighted throughout the story and Matt’s relationships with other characters were strengthened due to memories, shown by Reynolds’ use of flashbacks. It established a connection between the reader and the characters throughout the plot. The author using this literary device allows the reader to relate, stayed engaged, be more understanding of, and comprehend the characters.