Response to "Swiss Cheese"

   Ok, first off this story is about a girl named Brett who works at a hospital and meets a death row inmate named Jack, who is desperately trying to commit suicide to "cheat the system" and die an easier way. Brett is reluctant to talk to Jack at first but then slowly as she listens to him use his psychology on her so-to-speak, the more interested she becomes. I think personally think she finds him intriguing by the end of the piece. 

    I really like this piece as a whole and I like how descriptive some of the scenes are, for instance the beginning scene. However, sometimes I wondered if I was distracted by some of it, like maybe some of the details weren't really needed. I do like Brett's voice throughout the piece, especially considering we learn of her mother's murder, so it would seem that she would be this easily agitated character. She acts as if something is always on her mind, and as the reader we know what that is, and I thought it was really cool how you were able to capture that. I did want to learn more about her mother's murder I think. I guess I wanted to know more about that day and how she happened to find her mother in that way, ya know, was she attending school in her home town and lived at home, or was she just visiting? Did they ever catch who committed the murder? I kind of wanted to know more about her struggles with that and her father's death as well, because it isn't just her mother's death that seems to trouble her. Does she blame herself for both? 

      I love how you show Jacks weird personality by having him been a psychology major, so he can really read people, having him almost become Brett's therapist in a way if you think about it. Two people who both are very familiar with murder both become each others support. In the end she helps him with his suicide, but what is it that he helps her overcome? What is Brett's actual change? I'd like to see her come to a realization, I think from something he says. I think you attempted that when she keeps remembering him saying "Would it make you feel better to know that I was abused as a child?...I was mutilated too." I'd like to see this change her I guess a bit more. She constantly thinks about it after he says it, but what about it really changed her? Other than that, I really liked this story.