Were you curious to learn the details of what happened to Wesley during the prison riot, or did you dread reading the description?

Were you curious to learn the details of what happened to Wesley during the prison riot, or did you dread reading the description?

I was hesitant to read the details of the riot. I thought it would be much worse than what was depicted, granted what Wes endured was horrific but it could have been much worse. I am happy the author went the direction she did and didn't go crazy with the violence or worse.

I did not want to read details of the torture. The aftermath and the pain and suffering Wes endured the rest of his life were enough to make the reader understand the horrific things that were done to him. The fact that Williams did not know him personally as a guard made his maiming even more despicable.

I did not look forward to reading about the torture. I think reading about how it affected his life afterward was telling enough.

I did dread reading about what happened during the riot. I find torture of any type hard to read about. That said I felt the author did a great job of depicting what happened and the aftermath of the riot. I also felt that she did a good job of presenting the lasting effects of the riot on Wesley, the people in his life and the town

Yes, I was curious. It was obvious it had to be horrific to bring such a strong man to the depths of despair. It also showed the torturer for the true psychopath he was. That he was allowed to go free made me very angry but it showed another facet of Wes's character.

I liked this book in part because I have never read another set in a prison environment. Yes, the torture scene was very hard to read but it was necessary to pull the narrative forward. The author was skilled in setting up that scene in a way that was graphic and psychologically gripping for her readers. Well done!

I was dreading reading the details. I almost did not continue the novel because of that. I am glad i continued.

Although I dreaded reading about the torture, I knew it was necessary in order to understand what Wes was really dealing with. It was difficult to read and I am certain that most of the other readers share the condition that we really "live" what we read - it could give one nightmares. However, the ending would have been far less powerful if one had not really known how great a decision Wes had to make.

I thought it was necessary to learn about the torture but it worked better looking back on it rather than going through it at the current time.

I thought it was necessary to learn about the torture but it worked better looking back on it rather than going through it at the current time.

I thought the author did a beautiful job of leading us into the description with open eyes. We were mostly prepared based on details that had been provided through conversation and flashbacks.

A description of the brutality was necessary to understand the conflict of the main character. Reactions to life's challenges are certainly complicated.

I felt it was important to the story that we learned what happened during the riot. This was obviously a pivotal point in Wesley's life. And I don't think the changes were just about him not being able to play the fiddle anymore. It also took an emotional toll on him, in the way he always had to be in control of his emotions. This was true even when he wasn't in the prison after the riot. But didn't seem to be so much before. Then he came home, showered and changed, and became more of the "family man".

I also felt it was important to the story to know exactly what he endured that affected his life in such a powerful way.