Subsiol by Nicholson Baker

In the story “Subsoil” by Nicholson Baker, it is being told to us by an outside source. I think that this is an important aspect to this story because we are only able to see what everyone else can see. We aren’t able to hear his thoughts, so we don’t know the reasons behind what is happening. An example of this is how focused Nyle was on the open door.
After eating soup with the Taits, Nyle is shown where all of the old, shriveling potatoes are kept. Before going back to his room he notices that one of the doors is left open. This is something he thought about before going to sleep. This bothered him so much that he couldn’t fall asleep until something else occupied his mind. Even after falling asleep, when he woke up again, he thought about the open door. He was about to go downstairs and close the door himself when he noticed the potato sprout coming through the keyhole.
If Subsoil had been told from Nyle’s point of view, I think Baker would have been giving away too much information. We are unable to hear Nyle’s exact thoughts, so we can’t really be sure why he was so interested in the cabinet door, and all of the potatoes inside. Potatoes aren’t something I would automatically assume someone would be afraid of, but from the beginning the narrator gives a sense of life and feeling to them. Nyle was bothered because he had never been hated by a potato before, but we aren’t told why he would think that it hated him, leaving us to think about it on our own. With the limited information the story held more suspense than it would have otherwise.