"The Unsuspecting Nature of Grief" by Jessica Phillips

[Scott]

Please use this topic to discuss the fifth story in Holding Fire, "The Unsuspecting Nature of Grief" by Jessica Phillips.

What do you think of this story? What do you like most about it?

I think this is a great story with interesting narration. I love that this story reverses the typical instinct where someone reacts angrily in ways they quickly regret; the protagonist instead seems almost to have a bad habit of instinctively being too forgiving and nice and then wondering herself behaves that way. I think the story has awesome twists. There are parts of this story that I hate to love so much, which I think makes for great storytelling. Jessica Phillips does a great job separating the benefits of not being vengeful with the happenstance that leads to the horror near the end. I think it's very non-formulaic yet so true to life. This is one of the best stories in the book in my opinion.

What do you think?

[sahmoun2778]

I also enjoyed the twists and turns in this story. The ending was definitely a surprise for me but I think I would have been disappointed if the ending had been different. This author has talent. I'm curious to see what else she will do with her writing in the future.

[JessP25]

Thank you both for saying such nice things about my story! I'm so glad you enjoyed it

[memory]

The author definitely has a talent for storytelling and incorporating unpredictable twists and turns that the reader does not see coming.

[bookowlie]

I found much of this story unrealistic, yet very absorbing. What an interesting twist at the end!

[JessP25]

I found much of this story unrealistic, yet very absorbing. What an interesting twist at the end!

I'm guessing the unrealistic part was that she'd ever allow him to move in with her? I thought it'd work better if she attempted to forgive him, as it'd help her own grieving and also allow him to move closer to her.
Were there any other parts you thought were unrealistic?

[bookowlie]

I found much of this story unrealistic, yet very absorbing. What an interesting twist at the end!

I'm guessing the unrealistic part was that she'd ever allow him to move in with her? I thought it'd work better if she attempted to forgive him, as it'd help her own grieving and also allow him to move closer to her.
Were there any other parts you thought were unrealistic?

Yes, you are correct. I just couldn't picture that scenario ever happening. However, I thought the premise was unique. It's always interesting to read a story with a different take on a topic.

[khudecek]

But people do strange things all the time and I could see a bereaved widow doing something like this. I thought she was setting him up to be honest with you.

As for Jerry's mom, I felt bad for her but in all honesty, I'm not sure why she was in the story. I understand that she grieving and was showing a side to it that maybe "normal" people feel which was in contrast to how Sara was acting.

I've read this story twice now and I think I'm missing something.

[JessP25]

Essentially I based it on the quote - 'the stupid neither forgive nor forget, the naive forgive and forget, the wise forgive but do not forget'. I wanted the mother to be the former, while Sara represented the naive and her brother the latter.

-- 08 May 2015, 08:53 --

But people do strange things all the time and I could see a bereaved widow doing something like this. I thought she was setting him up to be honest with you.

As for Jerry's mom, I felt bad for her but in all honesty, I'm not sure why she was in the story. I understand that she grieving and was showing a side to it that maybe "normal" people feel which was in contrast to how Sara was acting.

I've read this story twice now and I think I'm missing something.

I guess with this story I was trying to capture how grief (and vengeance, to some extent, in Brent's character) could mess with the mind. I made Sara purposely quite weak and confused because I believe that grief can really affect someone in that way, especially if she'd been married to Jerry since she was 17. In Sara's mother-in-law, I wanted her to fit the 'stupid' part of the quote, but contrast it a bit by her being right about Brent in the end, thus emphasising Sara's own naivety. I wanted them both to find forgiveness in the end (because I believe that's really the flip-side of the anthology's theme). Her mother-in-law found forgiveness in Jerry's apparition, and Sara found it in letting go of the past and believing in herself and her husband.

[khudecek]

I've never heard or seen that quote before and it well-worth remembering. I understand now.

Thanks.

This really was a great story. I like stuff that makes me think and wonder.

[Michelle-lit]

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.

Basing the story on that quote was a brilliant idea. Extremely thought provoking. I still felt the same way that by the end of the story, I was confused why the mother was in the story. "The naive forgive and forget" is very clear, but the other two quotes are not as visible. I would have liked a more in-depth look at the other two, or maybe even just focus on one.

[bookowlie]

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.

Basing the story on that quote was a brilliant idea. Extremely thought provoking. I still felt the same way that by the end of the story, I was confused why the mother was in the story. "The naive forgive and forget" is very clear, but the other two quotes are not as visible. I would have liked a more in-depth look at the other two, or maybe even just focus on one.

I agree with you that the story made was uncomfortable....in a good way. It kept me guessing and made me think about how I would think and act in the same situation.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Two thoughts:

1) The prose of this story, separate from the story itself--is absolutely wonderful. Top rate.
2) The story itself is fabulous, because of what Scott said--no formula, no predictability. It went in a different direction. I found it unrealistic, but not in a bad way. More of in a "unique" way, being that different people do react differently, and I don't think it detracts to have characters who seem outside of the realm of "normal response."

It's like, whenever I'm watching those cop shows, the real-life ones about "did the husband kill his wife?" And the cops say, "His reaction to hearing of his wife's death was unlike the normal reaction of a grief-stricken person," I get mad at the cops and yell at the TV, "There's no normal response to something like that!!!" Now, the person may be guilty as sin, but in my opinion, the response to hearing your wife is dead is meaningless. Do any of us have a practiced "normal" response for that???

As so with this story, we can't say how we'd react unless we've experienced it, but I don't think there's a one-size-fits all for losing your husband to gunfire. And so I just thought this story was brilliant in its unique response.

All the more with the quote the author gave, of the three responses representing three people: fabulous!!

To JessP25: you have real talent with both word-crafting and story-telling. Keep writing, OMG!

[boaz6676]

I agree with much that has been said already. I think the lack of predictability and the unique actions taken by the characters made the story compelling and a real page-turner. Maybe I'm just a sucker always wanting the happy twist, but I was disappointed when the ending turned out so negative. By that I mean I was disappointed in I really hoped it didn't have to turn out that way; however, I was thrilled with the writing and think that despite my wanting a more uplifting ending this way was so much better.

I loved the story before heading onto these forums; however, after thinking about it in relation to the aforementioned quote:

the stupid neither forgive nor forget, the naive forgive and forget, the wise forgive but do not forget

I thought the writing was even more brilliant and artful. Thanks for the great read!

[ananya92]

I found this story quite interesting and engrossing with its twists.