Mileena Nguyen’s Three Simple Words is narrated by Evangeline Garnier, a girl who seems to possess a mysterious power to feel the pain of others. The story begins with a quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Evangeline, which happens to have the same name as the protagonist. This is probably not a coincidence, as the prologue depicts the main character’s mother reading Evangeline to her young self. Three Simple Words is rich with descriptions even in the prologue, giving the audience a vivid image of the atmosphere and what young Evangeline is feeling. “Her delicate fingers began to comb my wavy hair, which shimmered with the warmth of milk chocolate in the dim light.  These fingers gently defined each of my curls, and made their way down to my cheeks.  Warmth and love were palpable in her touch, yet her fingers themselves felt as cold as ice,” the protagonist describes as her mother combs her hair. Evangeline evidently adores her French-Japanese mother, and sees her as a beauty. “She had gorgeous hooded eyes with feathery black eyelashes. Her beautiful, ebony black hair framed her delicate face and cast shadows underneath her high cheekbones. Her snow-white complexion was perfect.” However, the little girl knows her mother is suffering inside for reasons unknown to the child. Because of her unique gift, Evangeline is able to feel her mother’s pain through their kisses, but she is afraid to reveal this since Mommy might not kiss her again. “If I told her that I was hurting every time she kissed me; she would never kiss me again. Then she wouldn’t love me anymore.” This predicament and her mother’s life soon come to an end; six-year-old Evangeline finds her mother’s dead body next to a scattering of pills. It is presumed that Mommy died of a deliberate or accidental overdose. Due to the scars on her wrist, it is also implied that Evangeline’s mother cut herself out of depression, which was what little Evangeline felt every time she was kissed.

In the prologue alone, Three Simple Words tackles with a tense yet loving mother-daughter relationship and a traumatic death that shakes the main character heavily. It sets a looming backstory that will possibly play a major role as the story moves on. Evangeline is extremely observant for her age, but this must be a part of her character and perhaps will be expanded upon later in her actions.

The first chapter shows Evangeline sitting in an art classroom. Again, readers are provided with excellent imagery of her surroundings. “Beyond the large, glistening windowpanes the trees ranged from birch to maple to oak, and their foliage gleamed hues of rouge, amber, and gold…The dark shelves of paints aligned along the pale walls in a rainbow assortment, brightening up the classroom.” There is no mention of her mother, so one can assume much time has passed since the incident. Evangeline likes art, but she also secretly likes Mr. Ren Vaughn, the art teacher, her childhood friend, and her calligraphy tutor. A new student, Leo Culton, is introduced, and Evangeline is given the task of helping him adjust. She welcomes him warmly, joking with the shy boy and promising ice cream along with a tour of the town. Evangeline, who is later revealed to be a high school sophomore, is portrayed as an open, ordinary teenager with a passion for art, her teacher, and her brother’s cooking.

There is more to this depiction. When her brother Cain cuts himself on the page of a book, Evangeline feels the pain of his cut when she touches him, but no wound appears on her skin. The Evangeline introduced in the prologue now returns, complete with her mysterious talent and memories of her mother. The death of Evangeline’s mother must have impacted the entire family; Evangeline and Cain never talk about it to their father. Even though the protagonist seems to be leading a normal life, she is still grieving over the tragedy of her mother and dealing with her strange ability to feel the pain of others. Evangeline doesn’t seem to realize that this ability exists and dismisses it as a hallucination.

The author of Three Simple Words illustrates her characters with layers of complexity, giving each of them personalities that complement their essences. Evangeline is friendly and relaxed, though she suffers greatly from the memory of her mother’s death. Mr. Vaughn plays roles as the comical teacher, the brotherly childhood friend, and the striking love interest to Evangeline. Even Cain is more than his dark looks. “Although my brother came off as delinquent, he was intelligent. He didn’t have to endeavor for high marks but he received them because he simply enjoyed learning.” This shows readers that many people have more depth than they appear to.

As mentioned above, the descriptions of the story are rich and detailed, presenting the audience with a clear picture of events, settings, and characters in Three Simple Words. However, these descriptions can sometimes be a little distracting. Reading a paragraph abundant with meticulous (yet beautiful) imagery can be exhausting and may clog up its flow. Perhaps scattering the descriptions in between dialogue or actions will clean the drain. There are also a few grammar mistakes, such as “[You made] you’re special spaghetti?” and “I stepped out of the shower making puddles of footprints,” but these can easily be picked out with some proofreading.

The prologue and first chapter of Three Simple Words introduces a heroine with an unidentified power and a mysterious past. These are well developed on the whole, and they offer an enticing beginning to a suspenseful story.