Question N

[Jonetta]

Turns out Megan Shaw and Celia Gardner had fallen in love when they were 16-years old and murdered Celia’s mother when she threatened to send Celia away because of her relationship with Megan. The two became estranged when Celia was sent to live with her aunt and Megan failed to show up at their arranged meeting. Both then proceeded down very different paths with Megan embracing her sexuality and Celia running from it. Your thoughts about the contrasts?

[Sharon]

This is another relationship that surprised me. Both women are murderers as teens, but so very different as adults.

Celia isn't a happy woman or she couldn't treat young people the way she does. Megan on the other hand, tried to help people, especially the ones that Celia's group hurt so deeply.

I need to think about this question.

[Jonetta]

I think this was an illustration of our uniqueness. We are not monolithic as these two women prove. They loved each other as teens, murdered to be able to stay together but then went on separate paths, one in denial and the other fully embracing her identity.

I think Celia was devastated when Megan didn’t show up for their rendezvous. It seemed to destroy her belief in their love and what they’d done to maintain it. I think she embraced her mother’s ideology, which was also her aunt’s, as a means of atonement for having made a “mistake.” Megan knew the truth so their forced separation took on a different meaning, making her more committed to being true to one’s self.

This was just tragic.

[Lynn]

I've got to say that I was shocked. We knew there was something about Celia's sexuality from her past, but I never connected Megan and Celia. Obviously this was saved for the end by Angela Marsons because if Kim had known about the connection between Celia and Megan, the investigation might have taken a very different turn.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

I think the author (who is gay) was making a bit of point with how she wrote these two women and how they ended up. Megan embracing her mistake and trying to help people while Celia was still in complete denial of her sexuality.