Question O

[Jonetta]

Ric is uncomfortable being around Jules because he’s gay and also doesn’t believe he’s up to the job as an agent. That opinion is based solely on his sexual orientation. However, his opinion shifts after seeing Jules in action on the range and he acknowledges as much. Was this a realistic illustration or did the author exaggerate a bit? What effect did it have on Ric? Jules?

[Anita]

I didn't get that Ric was uncomfortable because Jules is gay. I just thought that he wasn't sure the FBI was handling the situation well. I got the feeling that Ric wasn't a fan of the FBI.

[Sharon]

I agree with Anita. I didn't feel it was his sexuality as much as it was that Jules was an FBI agent. I remember a little conflict that Jules was gay, but I didn't sense any prejudice. I thought Jules jumped to the conclusion that Ric had an issue with him.

Brockman does a good job portraying the issues that gay men deal with daily. Sometimes gay or lesbian will assume a person doesn't trust them because of their sexuality, when they wouldn't trust them gay or straight.

I wish I had the book to re-read this section. This is my problem with borrowing books from the library.

[Lauren]

I also did not get the sense that Ric's initial perception of Jules was due to his sexual identity. Rather, he could not picture someone as physically small as Jules being anything more than a desk jockey.

I agree with Sharon that Brockmann's portrayal of the issues and reactions is realistic.

[Jonetta]

I actually gained that understanding because Annie called Ric out on it and he admitted as much. However, I did get the impression that it was more due to his physicality, or lack thereof in Ric’s estimation. Maybe I read too much into this.

I also think Brockmann portrayed the situation realistically as I’ve witnessed as much over the years. Sometimes it’s subtle as it is here with Ric and at others more overt as it was with Peg. I’m glad she provided multiple perspectives.