Should John have been honest about his amnesia?

[Daniel-Davis]

I think it was okay for John to keep the amnesia a secret. Three years flashed by and he couldn't remember anything -- he could get taken by a scam that everyone else was already aware of, like opening scam text messages from [your phone company] is bad.

But seriously, not telling people your most personal medical issues is normal. Lots of people keep disastrous medical issues to themselves, even if opening up about it could help.

[Wesley Friday]

I agree that he should have told someone, but then again, how does a person with amnesia know they're suffering from amnesia? How do they identify that they're suffering from it and how do they diagnose themselves with it? That confuses me still because a normal person suffering from amnesia would ask questions and therefore doctors would be able to help them. That's my takeaway.

I think such a person will not recall any previous memories. Imagine waking up one morning and not remembering all you've been doing for the past few years, perhaps even your own bed room in which you woke up. At least, you would know that something is amiss with your memory and I think that's a good enough place to start a self diagnosis from. Plus waking up in a hospital, probably surrounded by beeping support machines such be enough communication of one's state.

[Wesley Friday]

I believe John should have come clean with his state of mind to those around him. It would have made his recovery and interaction with his surroundings easier. However, others would make the point that his decision to keep it a secret was necessary to drive the plot and an otherwise boring story would have been the outcome if he had opened up. While agreeing that conflict is necessary for the plot, I think the plot could have also taken a much more interesting route even if John had decided to reveal the secret. It should depend on the author's creativity. For instance, if John had revealed his amnesia, he could have exposed himself to people who would want to take advantage of him. Subsequently in the story, he could regain his memories and then try to have his revenge on those who sought to take advantage of him. This would have made for an equally interesting plot.

[Oye Timothy]

I think it was because John was fighting for his interest. His well-being and mental health. He might hide from others not to hurt them.

[Barbie_sidhu]

In reality, any sane person in this situation would have been honest about this. But its a fictional thriller. And the part where the protagonist kept the amnesia hidden gave way to the whole story. It is what makes it a psychological thriller. I cannot imagine any better version of the story if the plot was otherwise than what it is originally.

[Asfiya Z]

It is only fair to talk about honesty if he had known he had amnesia. Was he aware that he was diagnosed with amnesia?

[Purplesturv]

Maybe he should have been open to the people around him but then again they might have taken advantage of his situation. Also if he was honest about it, we wouldn't have had the amazing fiction thriller we read.

[Kaushiki Parihar]

John should have been honest about his memory condition. In my opinion he could have told atleast one person about his amnesia. Since he hide the fact, he did struggled a lot and the novel was turned out the way it was.

[Menace Crypto]

In my opinion, John should have been honest about his amnesia. I can understand if he doesn't tell anyone as first as he maybe scared and confused but lying about it long-term just doesn't have any positive effect. So, it seems irrational to keep such a thing a secret.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

I think it's not about a good or a poor decision. It was his decision, and he suffered the consequences. However, telling the truth is sometimes a difficult thing, especially when we are talking about such a personal and subjective matter.

[Guda Lydia]

I still wonder how a person with amnesia knows they have amnesia and have the right mind to hide it. However, I understand John keeping his predicament a secret contributes to the plot. It is how it was supposed to unfold and with all the stresses that came with his amnesia.

[Halimat Thanni1]

Honesty is always the best thing. So yes, I believe that he should have been honest about his amnesia.

But if he had, be rest assured that the plot of this book would have been very different from what it is if he had been honest about that

[ellaiela]

I think John's amnesia and his being secretive about it is the author's way of keeping the story exciting and showing us what kind of character John has to keep the story going. I'm happy that the author put it that way; otherwise, I don't know if the book could be more interesting other than it already is.

[kirthana_shivakumar]

I do believe that he should have known someone if he knew for sure, but that was the whole problem wasn't it? It's hard to know if you have lost some memories.

[Rodel Barnachea]

I agree that he should have told someone, but then again, how does a person with amnesia know they're suffering from amnesia? How do they identify that they're suffering from it and how do they diagnose themselves with it? That confuses me still because a normal person suffering from amnesia would ask questions and therefore doctors would be able to help them. That's my takeaway.

Umm, I'm not sure if I'm understanding you, but I do think that people who are suffering from amnesia would know that they have memory lapses. But yeah, people who have amnesia would have a lot of questions, just like when John was confused about the date of the present.