Response to Janelle's Story "The Truth Behind the Window"

       Janelle’s short story “The Truth Behind the Window” is about a young woman who passes her time by looking out of the window and observing the facade of suburbia. Christina is in a unhappy marriage with a verbally abusive man named Theo. The only excitement she gets out of her days are when Theo is gone and she can survey her neighbors pretending to be something they’re not. Christina rejects this lifestyle and acknowledges it’s faults, but she is consumed by it at the same time. I feel sympathy for Christina. She seems to never get out of the house and she doesn’t stick up for herself when her husband mistreats her.
       I love the tone of this story. It has this reflective, weary feel to it that carries through from the opening lines talking about the rain pattering on the window to the last line “she could see the truths they so desperately tried to hide.” The window is an appropriate extended metaphor for the barrier between Christina and her neighbors and husband. Also, I thought what added to that was the narrator’s often times poetic voice. I like the description of the rise and fall of the daylight, and how Christina is described as still watching when the sun goes down which elevates the mood of the story for me.
    One thing is I wanted more of Christina. I would like to understand more about her relationship with Theo. He’s a jerk. If I read about a character who is tolerating verbal abuse from her husband, I want to know why. Why does Christina submissively go upstairs and change her outfit? She doesn't seem to love her husband at all anyway. I do not tolerate men calling women fat. So I want Christina to either grow a backbone or offer some idea of why she puts up with what she does especially when she’s so sad. What good has come from there relationship? If nothing, what ties her to him? Did he change? Was he a loving man before they moved to the neighborhood? I love that she’s detached or apathetic at times about her life, or in other words she’s content in some ways because she gets to see the real sides of these people, so she finds honestly through that but I’d like to know a little more to why she’s like this.  I think these are ideas that could be played around with to strengthen Christina as a character. I’d like to see her completely hypocritical or stand up for herself.
    I really loved some moments of the dialogue with Elizabeth trying to ride the bike. You have her spunk and captured the voice of a young child well. Overall, I really dug it. I just want more scenes, more about Christina. :D