WHY?

Question:

Wow, just wow. This latest Alice book has really left me waiting for another. In the past, I have found that a few of the Alice books have left me with the feeling, ‘So what?’, and not caring about what happens next. Not this book, for sure.

I absolutely loved reading about Alice’s visit to the University of Chicago. I agree with other readers in that the way you handled the physical aspect of Alice and Patrick’s relationship was the right way to go. On that note, I have a somewhat odd question. In that scene, you describe Alice as sitting on the bench with her legs on it, and leaning back to kiss Patrick. This I can imagine, but then….. Did Alice turn around?

One thing I disliked about the book was how sudden and short the part about the death was. ..I did not cry when I read that that character died. I know many readers did, but I didnt. I think that it is because we never really got to know the character deeply until this novel. I think that I might have shed a few tears if this character had died in a couple of books, but I understand that there are only so many books left.

My question to you is, why did you decide to have a character die in this novel? And, why did you choose this character? I don’t see this contributing much to a plot on a grand scheme of things, but I’m sure you have your reasons and that it contributes in future books.

Please reply, I’d love to have the answers to my questions and your opinions on what I’ve said. Thanks!

Phyllis replied:

I’ve omitted some of your email so as not to give too much away. I think that most readers were affected by the grief of the other characters, Alice’s in particular. I’ve known for some time that this was coming, because few of us get to adulthood without someone close to us dying. This character was chosen because the grief of the relatives was so acute. The mourning continues on into the next book.

As for your first question about Alice on the bench with Patrick, yes–as I said in the book–she turned around.

Posted on: June 21, 2009