[name_f]Imagine[/name_f] that you were best friends with someone growing up. You last saw each other in 5th grade. Then you saw each other again Sophomore year of high school.
This happens in the story that I’m writing, and one of the characters does not recognize the other character. Would this work in a story? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think you would recognize this person in real life?
I originally thought that this part of the story might make sense, if the character changed a lot through puberty, etc. But now I’m wondering if it just wouldn’t be believable. I could always change the age they last saw each other to 3rd grade or younger.
[name_f]Edit[/name_f]: I was kind of thinking that I might not recognize a random kid I played with once after 6 years, but I’d probably recognize someone I was friends with. I don’t know though.
i think that kinda works! it would be more believable if they last saw each other in third grade or something. but i don’t think a reader would care too much either way!
I think you can get away with it in a story! Especially if one of them used to be short for their age and had a massive growth spurt and is now very tall, or dyed their hair, something that doesn’t match up with the person’s memory of how they looked.
i think it depends on how drastic the change was. did they chop off all their hair and dye it purple? did they grow a few feet and a beard? did they change their name, or go by a new one? has their personality changed, do they act differently?
I didn’t immediately recognize my best friend from kindergarten when we met 4 years later. (I pieced it together though from her name, remembering that my mother had mentioned we might end up in the same class, and mostly from her running towards me with screams of joy and hugging me).
So I totally think this could work. To make it more believable the friend could have dyed their hair? That can make a person look super different.
Hm, since they were best friends, it doesn’t make much sense to me. I can’t remember everyone from fifth grade (and I’m a sophomore this September) but immediately recognised my kindergarten best friend when I found her on social media!
As the previous posters mentioned, maybe one of them had a drastic change? That may be more believable
I think this is totally feasible. People change a lot over six years. Its possible that they dyed their hair or something like that that changed their appearance.