What if...

[Kirsten]

... Eve found her family? I mean, I know, I know... her gene donors were terrible! But what if... just thinking out loud here... what if there was an aunt or uncle or grandparent or cousin or something that weren't????

[Jonetta]

Honestly? I'd find this awful and hope to never see this storyline. It gives too puch power to the people who through biology gave her life. In no way shape or form were they to be considered family. Any extended members would just be painful.

[Kirsten]

Did you feel the same for Roarke?

Yes, her parents were dreadful. But when it started the idea that came through was that they saved each other... but then Roarke got a family. Why would it be different for her? Of course, she would never trust them like she trusts her other family.

Just a thought... find it interesting you reject it wholeheartedly...

[Jonetta]

Yes, I wholeheartedly reject it. Don't know why that's interesting. Those two people were repugnant.

Roarke's situation was completely different, without comparison.

[Kirsten]

But, why? I'm not saying I support this storyline. I'm just saying it's an idea...

And I don't see how it would be different for Roarke.

Eve could have decent grandparents, we don't know. Just like Roarke didn't know he had a decent mother and aunt, etc.

Like I said, I'm just thinking out loud. JDR has such good story ideas I would never even suggest a storyline. (Except of course the baby one... but she's shot that one down in flames so many times...)

[Jonetta]

Roarke's family stems from the one parent who loved, cherished and adored him. Finding them brought him nothing but joy and new memories to replace those of the woman he thought was his mother. Finding Siobhan and family settled him, a source of peace about his past.

Eve's extended family would always be a painful reminder of her painful origin, no matter how "nice" these people might be. She's got new family, people who appreciate who she is and the person she created herself to be, not the people who technically created her.

[Kirsten]

I'm not trying to argumentative. And I think you make some good points. However, I can still see a situation where it could work. And, I always wonder if sometimes she is jealous of Roarke discovering he came from something good.

We don't know where her mom & dad came from, their background. We just know they were inhuman scumbags. Like in the story where the guy had the great family and turned into such a creep (he killed his family first). The same thing could've been in Troy's past.

Why couldn't the same thing be good for her? I agree with almost all your points except the one that discovering people from her past that weren't scumbag would necessarily be painful. I think it'd be interesting.

At any rate, I'll agree to let it go... I just started this thread to post "what if..." scenarios that come to us.

Sometimes, I'll be reading a book and think what would happen if this happened? Like the baby thing, I wonder about that one ALL the time!!!

[Penni]

I get what you're saying. I thought the same thing when Roarke found this whole family he knew nothing about and then Eve started having memories of her mother and realizing that she was as bad or worse than her father. How much that would hurt and if it hurt her more that Roarke had found his mother was not what he thought. Although, at least so far, there is no inkling that Eve's hurt is more because of it. Just more because she had hoped her mother might have cared for her, been looking for her, lost her instead of not wanting her, etc.

[Jonetta]

I believe Nora has carefully crafted this complex character, Eve Dallas. She did have a moment of bad feelings about Roarke having found a wonderful family and all her explorations of her own just disclosed more heartache. It was an incredibly human moment.

When I read, I allow the author license to take me where they want me to go in story and with the characters they create. My ability to buy into her/his creation depends on how effective the writer is in the design. I've completely bought into Nora's depiction of Eve and understand why, based on how she's currently wired, a baby wouldn't work, finding an extended family wouldn't work, etc. These things just aren't timely for the character, at least based on who I believe her to be, not how I want her to be.

This is the underlying thinking for my lowly opinions about the character. I don't drift into my points of view. When asked these types of "what ifs", I go to who I believe the character to be and is it in concert with her thinking, personality, etc. What I expressed above is based on how I think Eve would feel, not me.

[Kirsten]

Oh, absolutely, I do agree. I would NEVER tell JDR what to write. (Except the baby thing. That's something I'd really like to see if even just in a dream sequence.)

But, I love asking these questions with other readers, I mean if I see someone reading an In Death novel at a restaurant, the doctor's office, anywhere, I feel no compunction just going up to them like we've been friends for years!!

[Kirsten]

Here's another thing... I just love Peabody's descriptions of her family. It's just so funny... It'd be fun to have a scene where she takes Eve back to the homestead. Though, it may be too painful for Eve. She nearly goes catatonic every time she ends up in the countryside...

[Jonetta]

I think that would be hilarious and have wondered if Robb would ever take the story to Peabody's or McNab's families. Also, Eve still has some open issues, too, with Peabody's father.

[Kirsten]

I'm just waiting for McNab to ask THE QUESTION. Of course, I'm only up to Taken in Death.

[Kirsten]

Saw this on Falling into the Books:

okay seriously…. how about Dallas gives up caffeine for a week?? Wait.. I have a vision… never mind….

LOL! Can you IMAGINE???? Be afraid, very afraid!!!