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I wouldn't be surprised to hear more from the nasty father, though - especially if Twoey survives, and particularly if the story of what really happened gets out. How could allege that Ginny isn't properly supervising the boy, endangering his welfare. And the father would do that just to spite Ginny, just to inflict more pain on her - and perhaps on Twoey, also.

 

Yikes Parker, you sure have a pessimistic outlook. :pinch:  JK, I can totally see what you mean, but anyone can tell that Twoey would be in danger from his own dad mistreating him.

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More musings...I worry about the pain Twoey is experiencing. Do not want him to have serious complications from his injuries. Still wondering how the two boys (T. and D.) will handle their newfound connection. Surprised the church gossip is about David and not Twoey. Either the Pastor is much more perceptive than we give him credit for (he recognizes David's demons), or he's a complete crock, and is just fishing for sins and guilt for which substitutionary atonement can only suffice. The latter is hardly worth the gossip (if the Pastor is in the loop), so why is the Pastor so interested? That could get ugly. Very ugly.

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I don't want to give too much away. Some readers will perhaps  wonder if  I am alluding to current events in this story.

 

Please remember this story was basically written between Sept. 2014 and April, 2015. Minor stuff was added and of course a ton of editing was done before I started posting in August.

 

The venue was not chosen arbitrarily. There is a morass of cultism in Central New York State. Don't forget, Palmyra is nearby. But more to the point, New Bethany isn't very far from my story's location. The murder of the teenager and severe beating of his younger brother, for their sins, was carried out by their own sister and parents, in the sick church where they 'worshiped.'

 

I can't begin to tell you how my skin crawled when this happened at the same time I was posting chapters of Twoey!

 

I'm still shaken.

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And without being too much into current events, I noted how little news we got after the initial reports were filed. What I read made me sick. I noted the parallels with 18 Weeks, too.

 

But David is unlucky enough to be dragged to a place where the Gospel is held hostage to an outdated, utterly untenable literal interpretation of Christian scriptures. If I had a wish for him, and for so many of us, it would be that we be released from literalism. So many of us simply don't believe that way - why should we let literalism set the agenda or be the archetype for a whole faith tradition?

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Hey :) Congrats on writing a great story :) It's rare that I start a story that I simply can't put down, but this is one of those :). Really looking forward to any new chapters :)

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You're right, it does sorta have a vibe  :*)

If you haven't seen the rest of the trilogy, here are the links, because the Blue Neighbourhood series is worth a listen :)

 

Part 2: Fools

Part 3: Take Me Down

 

ETA: I'd like to add that I tend to be long winded in my reviews. So odds are my reviews for 18 Weeks will be walls of text  :*) I'll try to be straight to the point as often as I can.

Edited by Drew Espinosa
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If you haven't seen the rest of the trilogy, here are the links, because the Blue Neighbourhood series is worth a listen :)

 

Part 2: Fools

Part 3: Take Me Down

 

ETA: I'd like to add that I tend to be long winded in my reviews. So odds are my reviews for 18 Weeks will be walls of text  :*) I'll try to be straight to the point as often as I can.

But your reviews are so insightful and wonderful to read Drew! 

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Skinny, I want to expand just a bit on my Chapter 4 review :) I don't think it's a bad thing that each chapter represents a day. I actually like it, and find it refreshing. One story that comes to mind that has something similar would be "Anne Frank's Diary." Yeah, she may not have written in her dairy each day, but she still covers the exciting days and even the seemingly mundane ones. Which makes for a compelling story.

 

So, I really like how you are covering every single day in this story. :hug:  It actually allows us, the readers, to fully immerse ourselves in David's world. :D

Edited by Drew Espinosa
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"Methinks you are my glass and not my brother."

I was totally overthinking that line and trying to make it fit Twoey and Mike for some reason. Glad you cleared that up for me because duh it makes so much more sense that it's David and Tommy and I understand that better. 

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  • 1 month later...

Bah, I managed to write Twoey instead of David in my review. :facepalm:

My guess is Twoey will pretend to go to school but go see his grandfather instead with the evidence on a USB stick.

 

That's how rattled your chapter made me. :lol:

 

 

(of course I meant to say My guess is David will pretend to go to school...)

Edited by Timothy M.
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Lol Timothy ... you did it again ... rattled indeed ;)

 

Don't feel bad, I actually dreamt about PPF last night. With that chapter title, I really have known better than to read just prior to sleeping.

 

PPF!!! That's not a dream, that's a nightmare... I hope you got him good! 

 

As for the cliffie....SkinnyD should  :ph34r: until he posts the next chapter.. 

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For me, yes, a nightmare. For others a nightmare all too real. SkinnyD's David reminds me of a real David, David Wernsman.

 

http://www.kidnappedforchrist.com

 

http://nhym-alumni.org

 

http://www.liberalamerica.org/2014/08/10/an-interview-with-david-from-kidnapped-for-christ/

 

https://m.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2awdh4/i_am_david_wernsman_i_was_taken_by_strangers_in/

 

I was prompted to learn a little about the network of "Christian" schools and youth camps operating across the usa, candada, and some abroad, after hearing an interview with Kate Logan on NPR some months ago.

 

For me, PPG personifies all that is the American evangelical wacko.

 

18 days is a hilarious story; the underlying theme is frighteningly serious.

 

Frighteningly serious is absolutely right... I remember watching Kidnapped for Christ. Disbelief, horror, anger.. I could not wrap my head around it. I think seeing it on film brought full circle all the stories you read about, that quickly disappear. It's absolutely reprehensible the abusive practices and  teachings these so called 'Christians' employ. I shudder to think of all the others we don't even know of.. 

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18 days is a hilarious story; the underlying theme is frighteningly serious.

 

oxala ended a post with that line.

 

***

 

...read my post from Nov. 11 above, about another boy beaten by his 'family' for his sins - it happened only a few miles from (our) David

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OK ..now I did.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention ...and NO, I didn't do it on purpose!

 

Hmmm, maybe my next story should have each chapter with exactly X,000 words. :pinch:  I wonder if anyone's ever done that?

 

LOL, the problem with that is it's impossible to figure out how the GA system will count the chapter words. Do they include the end note? And what about the automatic Thank you for reading?

Edited by Timothy M.
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