Meandering. Thought provoking. Childhood. Survival. Abusive relationships. Growing up. Broken. Waiting. Confusing. Raw.
I don’t know what else to say. This book mystified me. However, I couldn’t just walk away. I had to find out if Ruth was going to be ok. Not sure if I found the answer or not.
I enjoyed going on this adventure with Agatha Arch. However, two things stuck out to me…
”But is this immediacy a good thing? What does it do to hearts and minds and anxiety levels to know everything—bad and good—at every moment? (289)
We live in a society today where everything is shared on the internet. As O’Keefe states “bad and good.” Where did this need to know everything come from? How do we react to the postings of our family and friends? The internet has become the fast food restaurant of information. Drive-thru and feast on your fill of details, photos, heartaches, and dysfunction with one easy click.
“‘I am not a bully,’ she says. ‘I am a realist.’” (277)
Anonymity. Shooting straight from the hip. Unsolicited advice. These all combine to create a toxic online environment. Empathy. Compassion. Thrown away in the guise of truthfulness. Harassment. Bully.
O’Keefe’s character became a better human being by the end of the novel. But how many people see the internet as their own public forum, where they can shout and be hurtful without any sense of shame? Not caring who they hurt.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones,
But names will break our spirits.”
The Misfits - James Howe
Trapped by our own devices. Order. Routine. Rituals. But what happens when those very devices that we create to make sense of our lives backfire? What are we left with? Can we move past what once gave us comfort?
Leaving what we know and the routines we fall into, is never easy. Change could lead to chaos. Change could lead to new and different experiences, ones we didn’t even know existed. How do we embrace a future different from how we always thought it would be?
Courage. Strength. Support. A willingness to fail. A determination to get up and start moving again. Open mind. Open heart.
