Janet Hurst [Paperback]

boice-Terrel Allen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

Janet Hurst is the new novel from the author of The Daughters of a Mother. Our introduction to Janet Hurst begins in a suicide ward, but that's not where it ends. In between, she is the sum of her broken dreams. She lives life as if she was merely consulted "for the minutiae." So she blames her young son. She blames her husband, Marshall. And even their housekeeper, Barbara, who Janet believes is having an affair with him. As she meditates on her life, we witness a middle-aged woman as she's challenged by her health, her sanity and the expectations of having it all.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

boice-Terrel Allen holds degrees from both the University of Pittsburgh and New York University's Graduate School of Journalism. He is a 2002 winner of grants from MCAI (Multicultural Arts Initiative) and the Pittsburgh Foundation. He is also a 2001 recipient of an Archie D. and Bertha H. Walker Foundation Scholarship to attend a fiction workshop at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. Currently, he's editing an anthology of fiction and poetry by multicultural writers and working on a collection of short stories.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Why would anyone want to kill me? When I can just do it myself. Of course, I say this in hindsight. Laying in a bed in the suicide ward of Mercy Hospital; the stigma of a suicide attempt firmly attached to me like an upspeakable blemish. When I came to, I saw the veil of judgment on the faces of every caretaker. That's what I believed. You would think the routine of working with suicide patients would produce apathy. But their expressions were no different than that of my husband's. I opened my eyes to Marshall and hastily shut them to avoid that horrible expression of, How could you? With my eyes closed, I could still perceive it. I wanted to ask where our son was. But Jacob was either too young to be allowed in such a place or Marshall was simply protecting him from his mother: the quitter. I assumed that he explained that Mommy was in a special hospital where only adults were allowed. At age seven, this was age appropriate and just. But even though it's for his own good, I still wanted to hold him. To feel him nuzzle his small face in the crook of my arm. He's too young, I know. But if he was there, at that moment, I know he wouldn't have worn that look his father couldn't remove from his face.

I left no note. So of course Marshall didn't understand. No one did. But it wasn't what it looked like. He thought I had everything to live for and couldn't fathom why I would do such a thing. But I don't think he ever knew what I had to live for. No, that's not entirely true. I believe he knew in the beginning. Before we were married, when we were dating.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Rattlecat Pr (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970134029
• ISBN-13: 978-0970134028
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,738,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JANET HURST, October 30, 2003

By 

Darie J. Allen "D.J. Allen" (Capitol Heights, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Janet Hurst (Paperback)

I AM NOT FINISH READING THIS EXCELLANT NOVEL, BUT I HAD TO MAKE A COMMENT. I LIKE THE BEGINNING OF THIS NOVEL WITH JANET IN THE SUICIDE WARD, THAT MAKE THE BOOK REALLY INTERESTING WONDERING HOW DID JANET GET TO THAT POINT IN HER LIFE. WITH THIS BEGINNING YOU CAN'T HELP BUT TO READ ON. THE AUTHOR MAKE YOU REALLY FEEL WHAT JANET IS FEELING AND MY HEART GOES OUT TO HER. EVERY CHANCE I GET I READ THIS NOVEL BECAUSE I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO JANET AT THE END. JANET SEEM TO BE A SAD AND PITIFUL WOMAN AND I KEEP THINKING ABOUT HER AND I FEEL SO SORRY FOR HER. BOICE ALLEN CAN REALLY MAKE YOU FEEL WHAT THE CHARACTERS FEEL. BOICE ALLEN HAS DONE IT AGAIN. LIKE DAUGHTERS OF A MOTHER HE MAKES HIS READERS FEEL AS THOUGH THEY ARE INVOLVED SOME HOW WITH THE CHARACTERS.