Olivia’s father tells her, “Very rarely do people like what they find when they go digging into the past.” How did you feel about his statement here? Do you agree with him?

Book Clubs The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark Discussion
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Olivia’s father tells her, “Very rarely do people like what they find when they go digging into the past.” How did you feel about his statement here? Do you agree with him?

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I have never had experience with digging into anyone’s past, but I’m guessing he thinks there will be some skeletons in the closet???

I think most people’s pasts would bring up good things, but I am an optimist. :slight_smile:

I would love to know stories about my grandparents’ lives before they came to the USA - never had the chance to ask nor did they care to tell. Would have been quite interesting.

So in answer to your questiuon, I don’t agree with Vincent.

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I’m not sure. I’ve never dug too deeply into someone’s past (including my own!). But I think that there would be more of a tendency to not like what you find. I say that because the good things probably would already be out in the open and then all you’re going to find are the bad things that were kept secret. Just my theory!

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I think whenever you dig into the past that you have to be prepared for the good and bad. I still would rather know then not know!

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I did some digging into my family’s past and was quite disappointed to learn there wasn’t a single salacious bit of family history to discover.

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Now that is pretty funny!!

I don’t think I would have anything in my family either. :slight_smile:

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Ha, I love it. I guess I wouldn’t mind if any salacious tidbit came out, unless it was about me. lol

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I think Vincent was referring to his past in that statement. He had very bad events in his past, mainly his siblings deaths and him being blamed for it. When the truth came out, it certainly wasn’t pretty! I think most people’s pasts are probably 50/50 when it comes to good and bad.

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That’s just an excuse to not find out secrets. In this case he didn’t know if he had killed them and wanted to find out before he died.

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I would say ‘yes’ to a certain extent. Obviously he didn’t want Olivia to find out what really happened, since he always felt guilty that he wasn’t able to save his siblings. However, there is that expression ‘leave the past alone’ for a reason, as if you have secrets to hide you don’t want someone else dredging them up. I think it was also a different time than today, where everyone shares everything on social media.

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A cousin and I researched our grandfathers’ immediate family including the lives of four other siblings. Oh, boy! We uncovered tidbits that weren’t great. I suspect each generation has stories that are hidden. We chose to keep one story unpublished. Who needs to know and why? And then there’s a storyline on my paternal side about an older spinster great-great-great female cousin who “suddenly” had a child. We carry stories within us.

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I don’t agree with Vincent. I think that people are surprised when they dig into the past rather than disappointed. When I delved into my genealogy, I was surprised that my grandmother’s family had a family coat of arms. This hobby has connected me with cousins, some close and others distant, who have given me more information into my ancestors.

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I think it’s natural to hide things. There are reasons some family stories don’t get told or shared. When you dig into the past, you risk finding out about those moments and reveal things possibly better kept hidden.

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I actually wrote down that quote to save for future referrence, I liked it so much. I think it’s true. Even with our own memories, I find that more often than not, we choose to remember the good times. Sometimes I’ve forced myself to dig deeper and started remembering the less positive things around certain memories so it can definitely be true.

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Vincent’s comment is spot on! I watched this happen first hand with a family member and I think we all knew deep down this was the opening of Pandora’s Box. Once you do it, you can’t just close the lid and ignore what you have found. It truly changes you forever and it can be for better or worse.

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No - I don’t agree. I love to find out new things about my parents and grandparents.

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All families probably have some secrets- I personally would rather know the truth than be brought up believing a lie. I was raised with a lie and when the truth came out I was very upset. I would rather have known the truth from the beginning.