#710 Aliens- David Leavitt
Imagine an argument between husband and wife. He argues that seat belts are more dangerous than they are safe. She asserts the opposite. They drive off in anger, she in a safety belt and him driving free to jostle about. Predictably their argument gets an immediate test as they get into an awful accident. She wins. Her husband is crippled and is now living in an assisted nursing home trying to recover some of his mental and physical faculties.
Back home, she has to deal with this new reality. Change can be jarring, especially for a child already going through adolescence. Their daughter Nina is now claiming to her family and to her school that she is an alien brought to earth to study humans. She has rejected her reality and crated a new origin story. A very creative way to disown yourself of your family. The oldest son, is also creating his own independence by raising his own college tuition.
This is a family full of selfishness, ironically it’s a trait that connects all humans.
Notable Passage: “ It’s one thing to look ugly, another to act it.”
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