"The Events of October" Reading Response

 The minute that I picked up The Events of October, I could not put it down. I borrowed a copy of the novel from a friend this past Saturday afternoon and cracked it open with the intention of just reading the first chapter. Three hours later, I found myself still sitting in the same spot with my face in the middle of the book. I know that my instant interest has a lot to do with me being a part of this college community and the sense of shock I felt at the prospect of a tragedy of this magnitude. Having said that, I think that Gail's powerful ability to tell a story drew me in and sustained me. For me, the sign of a good writer is the one who can get you to desire to read more and to want to get to the end of the book. In this reading response, I want to identify and break down the stylistic and structural strengths of The Events of October that make it one of the best pieces of creative nonfiction that I have ever read.

1. Ample Context

One of the first things that I observed when reading this book is the amount of time that Gail spends setting up the context for the tragedy that later ensues. Not only does she describe the college well for someone who has never visited a small, liberal arts college, but she also does a good job at getting the reader to picture Maggie's and Neenef's upbringing. In the case of Maggie, the reader gets a good look at all of the potential she had and which was robbed from her. In the case of Neenef, the reader gets a glimpse into his psychological formation and red flags are raised for the reader early on.

2. Widespread Research and Interviewing

Another thing that stuck me about this book is the sheer amount of researching and interviewing that Gail did in order to put this book together. I cannot even imagine all of the notebooks and files she had filled and what a tedious task it would have been to sort through it all. I think the her book is a testament to the power of ample researching and the abundance of information appeases all of the reader's doubts.

3. Highly Thought-out Sequencing

Due to the fact that Gail seems to have had so much material to put into this book, I admire how she handled the arduous task of putting everything together. Since being in this class and beginning to write my own narrative pieces, I have discovered that this is the hardest part of the process for me. Especially in the sections entitled “The Endless Night” and “Hold Fast,” she manages to piece together a narrative using all of her interviews that takes into account nearly every aspect of those tragic weeks. Whether she divided them through the use of her own voice or through the simple drawing of lines, the chapters never read as jumpy to me. I think that she is more fabulous that ever in this realm and I am going to ask her a lot about it in class.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, even though the subject matter is truly traumatic. I think that Gail puts together a fantastic example of narrative journalism and I am really looking forward to our class today so I can ask her for tips, both stylistic and structural.