Sunday, April 20, 2008

A Haunting Story About a Doomed Brother

Cleveland writer Erin O'Brien published a remarkable article this week, a tender memoir about her brother John O'Brien, author of the novel Leaving Las Vegas. Please, do yourself a favor and set it aside for when you have a few quiet moments. But be warned: you may need a small box of Kleenex to get through it. While you're at it, you might also check out Erin's blog. Her writing is always a treat, but with this piece, I think she launched herself into another league entirely.

2 Comments:

At 7:35 AM, Blogger Erin O'Brien said...

Thank you so much John, and to everyone who reads the essay as well.

 
At 12:56 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

My son told me today that the second of his friends from grad school committed suicide yesterday. My heart ached for him tonight and I read Erin's article.

Learning to deal with heart-wrenching pain and finding the jewels hidden in the muck that can bog you down is tough, but to hold those jewels up to the light for everyone to see actually can help illuminate a path for others. Honestly dealing with the pain that links us together as human beings is a step towards healing; it is far more constructive than running away from the things that make us feel like we are having open heart surgery with no anethesia. Thanks for the link.

 

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