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Ravenous Readers

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

The darkest secrets

Re: Page 71
"The wall morphed into a video game, and in it her little body smacked the surface and slid down onto the floor."
Wow. Was anyone expecting this kind of openness? How did this passage make everyone feel? Were you horrified? Empathetic? Do we all have these moments of unbidden images of hurting someone that our superego squelches? If the narrator had been an unwed, poor mother, not a celebrity, would that change your opinion of this passage in the book?

3 Comments:

  • Okay, I'll admit, I haven't read the book. Things have been crazy around here.

    However, just reading the question... there are days when I call my husband or mom and say, "THIS is why people with no education and no self-control shake their kids!" Not so much from being depressed like Brooke was, but just from the day to day life that kills you slowly sometimes. There have been times I imagine taping her mouth shut. Or kicking her. Or doing things to the kids I take care of who aren't even mine. I think (at least I hope it's not just me) that everyone gets to the end of their rope from time to time. The trick is knowing not to give in to those urges.
    I think her being a celebrity gives her maybe a bit more freedom to say those things. It's less likely that CPS is going to come to her door based on that comment, whereas a poor unwed mother might raise a few more eyebrows.

    And like I said, I may be offbase because I haven't actually read. This is just what comes to mind. :)

    By Blogger mamashine, at 12:42 PM  

  • I think that is one of the really hard things about PPD: thoughts you just really can't control.

    I didn't have PPD, but I think awful things sometimes. Usually it's calm, rational thoughts about driving my car off the road, but I would never really do it. At least not when I was in my right mind.

    I think that it was really brave of Brooke to admit this. To tell people what she was really feeling. I think that she did it so that people who read this book who have or are going through PPD can not feel so bad about these thoughts - they are normal and don't make you a bad mother or person.

    Kelli - Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts with us, too!

    By Blogger MamaChristy, at 8:18 PM  

  • I think Kelli makes a really good point. And as someone who suffers from regular ol' depression, I can tell you that feelings like this do happen. The important part is being able to not do the things that you imagine or really, really want to do.

    BTW, this is part of what scares me about having kids of my own, although knowing that people who I know are "normal" have these feelings too helps.

    By Blogger Kate, at 8:41 PM  

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