So you meant "throwing in the towel" as the theme for the whole story, instead of just the ending? In that case, I misunderstood before, and I agree.
Right, I was perhaps unclear. The ending answers the thematic question of the whole story, and it answered it in a way I didn't care for. This isn't necessary a flaw in the story, of course, which should also be said. I didn't think the ending was incongruous, or unbelievable or didn't fit what preceeded it, except perhaps by going overboard in a way I didn't think was necessary (hence my "turning it to 11" comment). I just thought the ending didn't arrive with the sort of consequences I was interested in seeing played out.
I'm confused by what you're saying here. As far as I understood the story - and I believe this was in the story directly rather than implied - Selene was basically split between two different "personalities", both insane. She was killing her children but at the same time believing her husband was doing it. Her seemingly normal actions in the beginning were an attempt at showing this dichotomy - she didn't *decide* to get rid of him on a concious level, or plan - rather, her delusions reached a breaking point.
I didn't read Selene as having two personalities. And I'm glad; the whole split personality trope is one of those that makes me go hunting around for my eyes because they've rolled right out of my head. Though perhaps that's what the name variations (if they are in the text, which we haven't determined) are intended to assert. Perhaps too, the migraines were supposed to indicate personality switchovers. I certainly hope not, though. Can you be a little more specific about what seemed to be the aspects of the two personalities, the triggers, which one did what things within the context of the story, or is it simply a one personality at the beginning the other at the end? You say that it's pretty specific in story, but I didn't pick up those clues, where they were presented, so can you guide me to them?
I'm with you on the read of the ending as a complete psychotic break, and as being a set of actions without decision on a conscious level. I don't think this reading requires split personalities to work, though.
I do agree this is a weakness of the story in that it makes it pretty difficult to relate to her insanity. I'm far more terrified by stories about normal people driven to extremes than stories about people who are outright crazy, because I'm not crazy and I find it difficult to imagine I can be*
Yeah, and it seemed like the author went to a lot of work to make it seem like we should sympathize in the first two thirds of the story, like Selene's frustrations and feelings were normal, and aggravated by her peculiarly cruel circumstances. To me, the complete psychotic break at the end, even if it's logical and believable, is kind of a "and it was all a dream" conclusion to what was really dense, twisted, troubling material. She put me in the head of someone who is carrying tremendous guilt, sadness and confusion over some totally fucked up stuff that happened to her and then blew that person's head up. I wasn't finished with that head.
See, the difference between us is that I didn't really care about her as much as I think I was supposed to, so the empathy switch in the end worked pretty well for me.
I think you were supposed to care for her. The author perhaps didn't nail that down as well as she should have for you, though that aspect worked for me. I couldn't identify with the guy because he basically only had one line "Baby." He also doesn't come into the story except as setting until really late. I didn't know jack about him. I just didn't care. Shoot, the ghost got more dialog than he did, and certainly more thought time from the POV character. I wouldn't have cared if she'd split open the filing cabinet either. Or chopped down one of those everpresent salt cedars. He was an obvious redshirt from the get go to my mind. And I felt like the kid's deaths, especially William's deserved more weight than the 'I'm setting my husband up for the fall' ending.
I'm also not sure I get the logic, even being flexible and allowing it to be somewhat crazy logic which says "this man is killing me with pills so I will show him by shooting myself."
But again, because it seems to be a flaw of the board that when someone critiques something it must mean they
hated! it, I'll repeat: I quite liked the story. Honest. I like Neal Stephenson too, and he's never yet gotten an ending right.