"The Unsuspecting Nature of Grief" by Jessica Phillips

Discuss the May 2015 book of the month, Holding Fire.
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debo9967
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Re: "The Unsuspecting Nature of Grief" by Jessica Phillips

Post by debo9967 »

The story line was different and quite brilliant. It also made me pause for sometime after I finished it and absorb all that I was feeling.
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Post by Lovely_Loreley »

Michelle-lit wrote:I loved how uncomfortable this story made me feel. I think that is one property that good short stories have; they bring you so far out of your comfort zone that they force you to think. The writing style felt smooth and flawless. My mind completely escaped into this woman's wife and was not distracted by over wordy sentences or flowery language.
Yes! I think short stories can often be so much more powerful simply due to the fact that they can convey so much in so few words. And any story that makes me think, especially ones that do so because they make me uncomfortable, is so much better than a story or a character that I can agree with from the start.

Also, I love the quote that this story was based on. I've never heard it before, but I'm definitely writing it down and saving it for later! :D
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Post by Momlovesbooks »

I was drawn into this story from the beginning. I wasn't ever sure where the author was going with the storyline. That is a good thing for me, because I tend to be able to figure out endings ahead of time. I enjoyed the twists and turns that kept me thinking. However, I thought this character's level of forgiveness was a little difficult to believe. I can't imagine someone allowing a loved one's murderer to live with them and become that close. I think the ending was the best choice, even though I prefer fairy tale, happy endings. Keeping in mind that life is not like that, the quote the author gave us, lingered with me.
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Post by zeldas_lullaby »

I almost got the sense that the character thought it would be virtuous of her to bend over backward for her husband's killer. I think a lot of people have that sense of "false virtue," like when they let a wayward relative move in, who proceeds to trash their house in short measure and contribute nothing. It's like, a weird mentality that giving of yourself (even when you shouldn't) makes you a good person.
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Post by avid reader28 »

Well, it was a twisty fun read, I related to the story in more of a personal way, one of my closest friends is very similar to the protagonist and I always thought it was somehow unnatural to react that way to a situation that most people would seek revenge after, but I've experienced alot of stuff since then and I understood that there's no " normal " way to react to un-normal situation.

Well, it was a well- written story. :)
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Post by bookowlie »

avid reader28 wrote:Well, it was a twisty fun read, I related to the story in more of a personal way, one of my closest friends is very similar to the protagonist and I always thought it was somehow unnatural to react that way to a situation that most people would seek revenge after, but I've experienced alot of stuff since then and I understood that there's no " normal " way to react to un-normal situation.

Well, it was a well- written story. :)
Good point! I agree that there's no normal way to react to this type of situation. Although the actions of the main character made me uncomfortable, the story was thought-provoking. I also thought the title was very appropriate.
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Post by calfurshoney »

What an imagination!!! This story was surprisingly good and unexpected.
Who knows what we would do in this situation. I would hope I wouldnt take a killer into my home but who knows if I would if I ever got this lonely!
I was suspicious from the start but had no idea that it would end like it did! Talk about holding onto a grudge! Bullying is never good and can hurt and haunt people for years!
Jessica Phillips did a great job writing this and I look forward to reading more from her!
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Post by bluemel4 »

Wow. I really loved the story! I finished reading it and was amazed. I did not see any of the twists coming. I loved that the author made the brother being gay not a big deal. I enjoyed the entire feel of the story. So many great descriptions and understandable decisions. I also can't believe this author is only 18! I can't wait to see what else she writes.
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Post by zeldas_lullaby »

Yep, this was one of the ones that blew my mind!
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Post by Kappy »

I also found the premise a little hard to believe, but in a compelling way that made me want to continue reading. If you did enough research, however, you might find a very similar factual scenario in real life. It took me just a few minutes to find the following true story:

In 1993 Mary Johnson's son was killed by 16-year-old Oshea Israel. But as Oshea served his 17-year prison sentence, Mary felt an urge to meet Israel face-to-face to see whether she could forgive him. Remarkably, she did and now Israel and Johnson are not only good friends, but take their message of forgiveness to churches, prisons, and to whoever would listen.

(http://list25.com/25-unbelievable-inspi ... iveness/5/)
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Post by JessP25 »

Kappy wrote:I also found the premise a little hard to believe, but in a compelling way that made me want to continue reading. If you did enough research, however, you might find a very similar factual scenario in real life. It took me just a few minutes to find the following true story:

In 1993 Mary Johnson's son was killed by 16-year-old Oshea Israel. But as Oshea served his 17-year prison sentence, Mary felt an urge to meet Israel face-to-face to see whether she could forgive him. Remarkably, she did and now Israel and Johnson are not only good friends, but take their message of forgiveness to churches, prisons, and to whoever would listen.
Wow, I actually didn't know a similar scenario happened in real life, thanks for the info! I based the story around the idea of restorative justice programmes in general, knowing they can help to reduce PTSD in victims.
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Post by Kappy »

JessP25 wrote:Wow, I actually didn't know a similar scenario happened in real life, thanks for the info! I based the story around the idea of restorative justice programmes in general, knowing they can help to reduce PTSD in victims.
Your insight was excellent! This was my favorite story in the book.
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Post by zeldas_lullaby »

JessP25 wrote:
Wow, I actually didn't know a similar scenario happened in real life, thanks for the info! I based the story around the idea of restorative justice programmes in general, knowing they can help to reduce PTSD in victims.
Yes, you have a great psychological mind! :D
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Post by kstockard »

I found myself surprised with every new twist that Jessica Phillips threw in. I loved them all because I thought they added to the story and did not distract from the main premise. I found some of the twists to be unrealistic, but I moved on because it helped the storyline out. Overall, I really enjoyed this short story.
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Post by H0LD0Nthere »

I agree with everyone, especially zeldas lullaby. I believe the story is a psychologically accurate portrayal of a certain type of person who is easily influenced. This person may not even be stupid per se, but they just find it hard to hang on to what they know in the face of pressure, manipulation, lies, or confusion. Of course, grief or stress would make such tendencies worse by leaving the person little spare energy to think clearly or to re-examine a foolish decision.

There have been many cases of people who gave false confessions, often very detailed ones, in the face of high-intensity police interrogation. Then once the initial confession has been made, often the police and the innocent person end up building together a narrative of how the crime supposedly happened, with the innocent person supplying details that they guess the police want to hear. It's hard to believe, but at the same time, tragically easy to imagine happening.

See the book, Convicting the Innocent, by Brandon L. Garrett.

As others have mentioned, there is also Stockholm Syndrome, where a hostage begins to identify with and want to please their captors. Perhaps because the captors are the only people in their life right now. This story reminds me of that, as well.

Finally, the convict himself illustrates another way that bitterness can take you.

Excellent story. I found it kinda hard to believe in the redemptive note at the ending. It seemed to come too fast. That's my only quibble.
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