Semester of Graduation
Spring 2026
Degree
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
English, Creative Writing
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
A literary thriller spanning eighteen years, The Onlookers concerns small town politics, the nation-wide opioid epidemic, and the parties – both social and political – with which we identify ourselves.
Hopelessly addicted to heroin and deeply ensnared in a cultish group of fellow addicts known as “The Feathered Men”, Finn Todd hardly remembers who he is, let alone the life he once led – that is, until a box of old photos arrives addressed under Finn’s name. With each photo, Finn retraces the five summers he spent at his friend Molly’s vacation home in Grafton, Ohio, and the disturbing murder in which he and his friend group were implicated. This first half of The Onlookers alternates between Finn’s past and present to show the dissolution of his life and friendships and to ask whether some drugs and some defeats are too much for a person to overcome.
Date
3-20-2026
Recommended Citation
Holden, Caldwell Gregg, "The Onlookers: Part I" (2026). LSU Master's Theses. 6303.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/6303
Committee Chair
Maurice Carlos Ruffin
LSU Acknowledgement
1
LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment
1