Originally Posted by Karen 28th September 2005


OK, now lets talk about them separately. What did you think of Jess? What makes her do the things she does? Where does her anger and rudeness come from in your opinion?

What do you think happened to Jen?

MerryK


I dont think I really care for Jess. Thank goodness none of my kids are like her. As I stated in yesterdays discussion I do not like how she just waves Maureen off when she uses foul language.. like that makes it ok... she knows Maureen does not appreciate it or like it.. but that doesnt really matter to her. I think she is very much a "me" person... me me me me. I'm not done with the book.. there were times while reading I literally would say outloud.. "she didnt" .. like the time with the angel business. She just went ahead with what she wanted not really giving any thought to the others and contacted the newspaper. Sure .. in her head she probably thought it was ok.. since she had talked to them about it.. but that doesnt make it ok... none of them liked the idea.

I think alot of her rage and behavior probably does stem from her sisters disappearance. I've got a feeling that her older sister probably had a lot of pressure on her & was also maybe doted on by her parents .. being the first.. and that when she disappeared.. I dont think it was a suicide either.. that Jess felt that she was abandoning her. Jess learned to use her parents fear of losing her very well. But there were times.. that one in the group would in an off-handed way hand her a compliment and it would seem like her demeanor would change for just a moment and then she would go back to being the old Jess.

Ellen


I liked Jess. She was irritating and immature, but I liked her straight forwardness. I guess I was attracted to her character because she's totally opposite of me. Seems she was spoiled rotten growing up, but also ignored alot by her parents. She just didn't know how to take a compliment, IMHO, because she never got too many growing up. I think her parents just didn't want to find the time for her. Poor girl.

I don't know what happened to Jen, and admittedly, was a little disappointed that we didn't find out. Personally, I think she killed herself. Jess was on her way to do the same thing, then found this group of misfits.

JP


I don't dislike Jess, but she is not someone I would pick as a close friend. I couldn't handle having to walk around on eggshells. She would do the most insensitive, uncaring things, and then "talk" about it to the reader. When she did that, there were times I honestly felt sorry for her, and that there was a logical, truly sincere, loving person hiding inside. Of course, she would then pull a "Jess", and out the door that would go. This may well go back to the disappearance of her sister, Jen. I wonder if she makes Jess "disappear" by becoming the one no one wants around just so she can get attention and feel that she is truly "there". She seems to have a fear of being someone that is loved.

Captainjacksparrow


I am still reading the book...but I do not like Jess...
she seems to be a very selfish person and only thinking about herself ..(from what I've read so far)

Karen


Interesting! I wanted someone, anyone, to just get in her face.

MerryK


I think probably alot of them wanted to get into her face and really tell her off and what they really thought about her.. but yet.. they knew she was in a tender state too because she was up on that roof just like the rest of them.. so they probably held back those thoughts . I think they all knew what it was like to have somebody come down on them so they werent about to do that themselves to hurt. They were very tolerant of her .. at least what I've read so far.

Deppraved


She's an obnoxious, spoiled brat who shuns all social skills to spite her parents, whom I believe she subconsciously blames for Jen's disappearance. She is deeply traumatized by Jen's disappearance and she is in deep denial about it.

On the other hand, I identified strongly with her general sarcastic rebelious attitude that she uses as a wall to protect her getting hurt again.

Yes, you just wanted to give her a good swift kick but she is my favorite character in A Long Way Down!

Jae


Jess was indeed annoying, that was certainly her intent and she succeeded. She was very raw. I did get a kick out of her and Maureen going on their little mission to see Martin's ex-wife. The visuals I was having in my head were quite entertaining of the two of them traveling about. Jess was everything Maureen or Maureen's son was not...she was a whole different experience for Maureen. To see that spunk and originality...and rage had to excite as well as stress Maureen at some level. And then for them to actually bond enough to go off together had to be a real surprise for both of them. A real yin/yang pair there...and I got a kick out of them at times.