From: SharynN at aol.com <SharynN>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 12:57:08 -0400 (EDT)

I'm officially delurking now, and Ginny and KT know why! Do I need to post an autobiography?

I've always had a problem with Cormier -- his work, since it is about the horrors of *everyday* life, unsettles and scares me. I thought that TENDERNESS would be a relatively "safe" book, because its subject matter is more sensational than, say, THE CHOCOLATE WAR. And, for me, it was.

I agree with the "author's hand" comment that someone made about this book vs. THE BUFFALO TREE -- one does sense the omniscient narrator at work, as opposed to BUFFALO TREE's total immersion. However, TENDERNESS will, I think, appeal to a wider audience. The subject matter is all over the news, and we all enjoy reading case histories.

I didn't pick up on the incest -- I felt that Eric was eroticizing the contact with his mother. But of course the other explanation makes perfect sense.

Why does Lori change from a girl who uses her body to someone who is willing to abet Eric? Because she's desperate, and changes by degrees; also, she's so desensitized that nothing has any impact on her after a certain point.

Finally, it's very clear that the detective knows full well that Eric didn't kill Lori ("it's not his M.O.," or whatever he says), but is willing to go along with the "deception" because, after all, he IS a murderer.

Sharyn November
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sharyn November SharynN at AOL.com
Received on Wed 13 Aug 1997 11:57:08 AM CDT