Did you think Jack was going to go through with giving Elena the stay-awake pill? How do you balance saving someone you love versus giving them personal choice, even if you truly believe their choice will ultimately do themselves harm?
I was surprised when he didn’t but as I read I was hoping he’d do what he did. As much as you like to rescue those you love - for me it’s the mom syndrome and my kids keep reminding me they’re grown up and can handle it - you have to let go because if you truly love that person their ability to be is theirs not yours.
I was unsure about the depth of Jack’s brainwashed beliefs. Julie was quite adept at convincing him about the “party line.” She had him hooked with her nice, gentle facade. This moment was the turning point in my thoughts about Jack. I knew from then on he would shift and leave the madness.
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I was not sure, but glad he left that decision to his mother in the end.
I did think Jack was going to give Elena the stay awake pill. I was so glad he did not. I think because he loved her and knew she wanted to reset that in the end he did not give her the pill. I think in many situations you need to give people personal choice.
At first I thought Jack was too controlled by Julia that he would give Elena the pill, but thankfully he made the right decision for his mother. My opinion of him changed when he showed he had integrity.
I was unsure if Jack would go through with giving Elena the stay-awake pill. The reader could see that he was uncomfortable with the idea, the question was whether his desire to please Julia would outweigh his own feelings.
I believe you can offer your advice/or opinion to a loved one in a non-judgmental manner. However, ultimately each person must live their own life, make their own decisions, and learn from the results of those decisions.
I really wasn’t sure what he would do. He was quite involved with Julia so it could have gone either way. However, he proved the old quote," that blood is thicker than water," didn’t he?
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I thought he was going to go through with it but then and I was glad he made the decision to allow his mother her free will. I found Jack to be a weak character. He was easily influenced by the person/people he was around
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I did think he would do it; especially after the residue that was showing up in her glasses after using the dishwasher. I thought he had already started some process that was giving her the drug a week or so ahead of her “shift” date. It was a pleasant surprise when he chose to leave his mother’s choices to her.
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I was thinking Jack would go through with it considering the influence Julie had over him. But I’m glad, in the moment, that he realized it was not his decision to make, that he couldn’t do that to his mother.
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I really thought that’s where the book was going! While, I’m not sure about the reset, taking away someone else’s choice just seems very wrong. And the harm was of a spiritual nature..one which neither Elana nor Jack totally even believed in, so for me, if he had made that choice it would have seemed off. I could certainly see the people in the church making that decision for a loved one.
I was pleasantly surprised that he chose to take the pill himself, and deeply relieved by his decision. Had he committed an act with such irreversible consequences, any possibility of redemption would have been exceedingly remote.
Personal choice is all about respecting someone else’s priority. Regardless of what you want for them - it has to be their own choices.