Elephant Town Chapter 11 (pages 12-15)

(Catching up on comments!) We're like 200 pages in and this is the first time I had anyone say the name Shepherdstown, isn't it! Theadora is on the right path, but there's more to it. It'll be (partially) explained in time. ;)

Danielle Corsetto

(Catching up on comments!) Yeah, as I'm writing this, I keep wincing and thinking "oo, do people really want a painful story where all the characters fuck up a bunch before they learn their lessons??" <-- no spoilers, but I'm not saying ALL of them learn... ;)

Danielle Corsetto

I would have thought this was a convo they'd have already had....

Theadora

I don't think the "why" has been explicitly mentioned. I've begun to think it's a reference to the "elephants" in the room that we're beginning to see.

Theadora

Okay I've been reading the whole time so I feel a little foolish, but I thought "Elephant town" was the name of the fictionalized Shepherdstown. Did I miss the "why" of the name?

Ben Hatke

Hard to say. Clean-cut (white) kid walking alone? Might not be worth the paperwork, or the hassle if she's from one of those Good Families that's gonna mess up your whole month by talking to the police chief at the country club. And let's be honest, some bored cops would prefer to stay bored. But then again... if you look like one of them city folk who are messing everything up, or someone from one of the Bad Families that the cops have been harassing for generations, it could go very differently. (NB: this is not an allegation about real-world Shepherdstown, about which I know very little. But... these are common rural stories.)

And now we see the actual intellectual age of Meighan.

Ruth Merriam

Wish we could respond directly to you after you reply! But I was thinking more today that this is a brave/good/challenging choice for the characters. Maybe been watching too many cozy mystery shows lately (which tend to oversimplify characters), but this definitely opens up interesting directions for their characters to go. - - Neal

NJGR

Thanks for that reassurance! I didn't consider what a slap this set of pages were after the constant slapping of Paul!

Danielle Corsetto

Ouch it hurts even more when this segment is like a safe place after Paul's sections! (and no worries, they can't all be happy times) - - Neal

NJGR

Oh, ouch. Poor Berto. I worry for him if this is how she responds to being asked for some empathy now.

Matt Paretsky

Oooof.

Cab

Oof. Meighan. Put that joint out, it's not like you'll waste *much* if you snuff the damn thing properly. Not as much as you're going to hurt your man here 😭

Melody

And hopefully not showing where her priorities lie.

Becky Fish

Yup. Definitely showing her youth there. And white privilege

Laura J Testa-Reyes

Meghan, your white privilege is showing. Also, small town. Doesn't that raise the chance of getting busted? On account of bored authorities?

Drazi

Damn, that's a real gut punch on a Sunday night! Poor Berto!

Sigh indeed!

Chris