Were you surprised by the truth about Anna's fall? Did you have any guesses about what happened as you were reading? Did they change as the novel progressed?
Created: 02/23/16
Replies: 24
Join Date: 10/15/10
Posts: 3442
Join Date: 05/31/11
Posts: 166
I was surprised about the circumstances. Even though she promised Luke she would not jump I figured she just forgot and did it anyway. This was a sad turn but not overwhelming. Her mental deterioration was progressing so fast and that was the overwhelming tragedy.
Join Date: 04/26/14
Posts: 56
One interesting thing about Alzheimer' (which I think was mentioned in the book) is that people lose their depth perception. The way the scene was written made me believe that she didn't realize she was jumping from such a height, and was just stepping over to get to Luke. Some institutions use this change in depth perception as a boundary that Alzheimer's patients can be unwilling to cross...a section of dark carpeting following a lighter section looks like an abyss to some patients, and they don't cross over it.
Join Date: 06/29/12
Posts: 3
I was not surprised. I felt that Anna was the kind of person who kept her word. Since she had made a promise to Luke, I assumed she did not attempt suicide. I don't think the essential person changes with dementia.
Join Date: 01/23/15
Posts: 225
Join Date: 02/29/16
Posts: 189
I agree with Pauj. I don't think that Anna was trying to jump. She saw Luke and wanted to tell him about the baby. It was that simple. She didn't realize where she was or what would happen if she took that fateful step. It didn't surprise me, but it did sadden me.
Join Date: 01/26/16
Posts: 20
I was surprised and thought it was an interesting twist. It made me think differently about Anna in terms of her happiness/acceptance of her living situation. I thought the actions portrayed by Anna in walking into space were realistic - the intense focus on the immediate goal of talking to Luke, and her inability to recognize her dangerous position and to anticipate the results of her actions
Join Date: 10/13/11
Posts: 120
Join Date: 01/09/16
Posts: 27
I didn't think Anna's fall was intentional. It was pretty clear that it was an accident. It FINALLY explained why she was in a wheel chair. It also solved the Hepworth 's "problem" of how to deal with Anna's baby.
Join Date: 05/16/11
Posts: 68
Join Date: 08/01/15
Posts: 32
What surprised me was that the facility allowed access to upper floors at all. Lack of depth perception is serious and residents should have been protected. Another sign of Eric's incompetence which no one saw.
Join Date: 06/13/11
Posts: 272
Join Date: 03/24/13
Posts: 11
I believe she accidentally fell. She had wandered thru that "hole thingy" and talked about the "slope" of where she stood. I agree with those who feel it was a matter of her depth perception.
Join Date: 07/24/11
Posts: 220
I was surprised by the truth about her fall. The saddest thing about it for me is that she couldn't explain to others what had actually happened and that she wasn't trying to kill herself, she simply took a step into thin air and fell. This left her brother feeling guilty about something that in reality he didn't understand.
Join Date: 06/23/13
Posts: 142
Yes, I was surprised but happy to hear it was not the suicide attempt everyone thought it was. She was so excited to share the news with Luke that she forgot her surroundings. Perhaps the depth perception issue was a factor. I can't believe an assisted living facility would not have blocked access to such a room.
Join Date: 08/01/15
Posts: 32
I agree that allowing easy (or any) access to that room is not believable. That home was not a well-run place. The sadistic nurse Skinny who ripped at Anna's clothes with the door open, the dishonest Eric, the staff wandering around as if medical and qualified. An odd place.
Join Date: 06/29/15
Posts: 143
I also agree that Anna's fall was an accident. She forgot she was on the roof and was just excited to tell Luke the exciting news. All the windows should have bars across them to protect the residents and there should have been no way a resident could have access to the roof or a floor where no one was living. Was it the author's was of dealing with Anna's pregnancy as suggested or showing another way that the home was not being run very well as other's suggested? I didn't even think about how well the home was run until the end when you find out Eric stole money from it.
Join Date: 05/27/13
Posts: 6
Join Date: 09/16/11
Posts: 165
Join Date: 05/07/13
Posts: 105
I am in agreement that unsecured upper floors were accessible. When I read what happened from Anna's point of view, I realized why she was in a wheelchair and also knew it was an accident. I didn't know that depth perception was a problem wth dementia patients.
Join Date: 03/09/16
Posts: 3
I was surprised that she fell because she was at the window, saw Luke and wanted to share the good news about their baby, and went forward not realizing the consequences. Another thought, what if she had the baby?
Join Date: 04/26/15
Posts: 37
What surprised me the more than the fall was that Anna (or any of the other patients) had access at all to an unsafe area of the facility. Since Alzheimer patients frequently wander and become disoriented, their area must be safe and confined.
Join Date: 08/01/15
Posts: 32
Regarding the baby - I thought that was an unnecessary plot twist the author threw in to add interest and drama to this bland book. Didn't work for me at all. And then, of course, the author had to get rid of it. It was a little side jaunt which, like the negativity, seemed to me to be an effort by the author to make the book more serious. I didn't find it valuable in the story.
Join Date: 04/21/11
Posts: 61
Join Date: 05/07/13
Posts: 105
Yes, I was surprised and saddened. I do think it was an accident.I am in agreement with the others who commented on the unsecured upper floors. I did not realize that depth perception was a problem for Alzheimers patients.
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