Post by SpringSummers on Aug 11, 2005 16:02:13 GMT -5
rob said:
I was honored when Spring asked my opinion on this story. Here's the review I sent, (almost) verbatim: It took me 3-4 minutes to read this story...and about an hour to stem the emotions that flowed through me upon finishing. Everything about this rings so true. Spike's brutal honesty, Wanda's beer-fueled despair...she wants to be a better mother, but hasn't the slightest clue how to go about it. Codependency is all she knows...though I doubt she's ever heard the term. It's just what is, and alternatives aren't in her frame of reference.
All that remains is her love for Xander...and in this case, that alone isn't enough to overcome her own weaknesses. Still, the half-hearted effort she made in subsequent months says something. That love will probably never win out...but it's never going to quit, either. This quality is the one (and possibly only) positive aspect of her character that passed from mother to son...but what a trait it is, huh?
Spike, of course, is completely ill-equipped (and disinclined, especially in Xander's case) to offer any sort of help. That's not who he is at the time this story is written. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that's not who he'd be at the present time, either. He (and Xander, when not emotionally involved) can spot and identify problems without effort, but actually curing them? Not their department.
Still, how great is Spike when he tosses aside pretense and lays it all out there in a few sentences? Nobody (again, save Xander) does that like quite like he does.
I loved how you showed that bare smidgen of humanity that somehow maintained its signature within Spike the demon. His simple "thanks" - even faced with the worst clothing imaginable - was his unwitting recognition that someone even worse off than him was reaching out.
That last paragraph is simply perfect, and ties everything together. I wish I could write something half that good.
It's a little masterpiece, Spring. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Thanks for repeating this here, Rob.
Underneath it all, the story is primarily about Xander, so your input and appreciation of the story means a lot to me.
