how do you expect that anyone who reads it is going to know that you *intend* for some characters to be non-white, unless you tack an AN on? It's not like readers are psychic.
Thank you for re-articulating my point for me. Because this is precisely the point, and the problem; despite the fact that there is actually every reason to assume (including off-hand remarks, if not focused ones) that the characters are in a multi-racial environment, without deliberately drawing pointed attention to it, the majority of people will assume everyone is white, and I am not in a position to draw more pointed attention to it without mangling my novel.
Within the plot and the set-up, along with the point of view premises of the novel, none of your suggestions are particularly viable/relevant, but thank you for your phrasing. I appreciate the implications of it. However, may I point out that your example of Anansi Boys demonstrates how clearly those more subtle forms of pointing it out can be missed? Likewise to yourself, I knew that the default race in the book had been switched, because I did pick up the coding involved (and was massively pleased with its subtlety). Very obviously, many people didn't. It is unfortunately not appropriate to my viewpoint character to be any more blatant than that in 90% of cases, and thus my "hmmmm" worry.
Re: If you don't indicate it somehow, in your text,
Thank you for re-articulating my point for me. Because this is precisely the point, and the problem; despite the fact that there is actually every reason to assume (including off-hand remarks, if not focused ones) that the characters are in a multi-racial environment, without deliberately drawing pointed attention to it, the majority of people will assume everyone is white, and I am not in a position to draw more pointed attention to it without mangling my novel.
Within the plot and the set-up, along with the point of view premises of the novel, none of your suggestions are particularly viable/relevant, but thank you for your phrasing. I appreciate the implications of it. However, may I point out that your example of Anansi Boys demonstrates how clearly those more subtle forms of pointing it out can be missed? Likewise to yourself, I knew that the default race in the book had been switched, because I did pick up the coding involved (and was massively pleased with its subtlety). Very obviously, many people didn't. It is unfortunately not appropriate to my viewpoint character to be any more blatant than that in 90% of cases, and thus my "hmmmm" worry.