So happy whenever you publish a new story - and that you have resumed this 'verse pleases me so deeply, even given how sad this is right now (it is just for right now, yes? please?).
You write a beautifully balanced and nuanced story - especially so, since I can't for the life of me figure out how Jensen will come to see himself and his life (and that mother) clearly and whole. Her manipulation is so pervasive and yet so subtle. While it's easy for us to see that, from an outsider POV, Jensen is not so perceptive (or refuses to be); he has been raised with it and conditioned by it for many years - you get that exactly right (not all writers do). I know from my own work with teenagers that, no matter how abusive the parent, the child has to believe that they love him, that they want what's best for him. The moment you first see your parent as a real person, with flaws and ulterior motives, is so hard. And then you begin to grow up.
My heart breaks for Jensen and for Jared (and for Bunny). Your use of the poems and especially of the recurring motif of the ocean (and water in general - rain, storms, etc) is masterful. Thank you for sharing your gift.
Thank you for your long and thoughtful comment. I really appreciate it and find it inspiring to keep writing. This is not the story's end and you are right that it will take quite a lot for Jensen to develop into his own person, outside of his mother's very strong personality.
You write a beautifully balanced and nuanced story - especially so, since I can't for the life of me figure out how Jensen will come to see himself and his life (and that mother) clearly and whole. Her manipulation is so pervasive and yet so subtle. While it's easy for us to see that, from an outsider POV, Jensen is not so perceptive (or refuses to be); he has been raised with it and conditioned by it for many years - you get that exactly right (not all writers do). I know from my own work with teenagers that, no matter how abusive the parent, the child has to believe that they love him, that they want what's best for him. The moment you first see your parent as a real person, with flaws and ulterior motives, is so hard. And then you begin to grow up.
My heart breaks for Jensen and for Jared (and for Bunny). Your use of the poems and especially of the recurring motif of the ocean (and water in general - rain, storms, etc) is masterful. Thank you for sharing your gift.
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