Sunday, November 28, 2010

Tell No One

The novel Tell No One by Harlan Coben is a mysterious and romantic novel. The story begins with Alex Beck, a doctor, who has slowly been putting his life back together after his wife Margot was murdered by a serial killer. After eight long years, he receives an e-mail with a note of a secret only he and his wife know. He is in shock, and starts to believe that his wife is still alive. In the e-mail, Alex receives a link to a surveillance video clip that features his late wife looking alive and well. The message warns Alex that they are both being watched. That same day, the police offers begin to accuse him of another murder that took place on the same land that he owned. Although he tried to convince them he hasn’t been around the land in eight years, the police officers still doubt him. Finally, when his lawyer calls him and tells him that they are going to arrest him, he runs. With the help of his friend, he escapes the law and tries to find out hints and clues of his wife’s “murder.” Gradually, Alex learns that there are numerous mysteries about his wife's death, including mysterious photos of her covered in bruises. Using these clues and hints, he finds out what really happened to his wife, and what actually happened that night.

1. How would you feel if you received a message from someone you cared about that you thought had passed away as Margot did to Alex?

2. Without giving away the ending, Alex discovers the secret of what had happened the night of his wife’s “murder.” The ending of the novel involves family secrets, how would you feel if a family member kept something hidden from you?

19 comments:

Emily C. 13-14 said...

2. I think it is important not to keep secrets with your family of all people because they are your blood and will be with you through everything and being close is what holds a family together, so with lies and secrets your family would be nothing

MaryL11-12 said...

I think that sometimes having secrets are a good thing - everyone is entitled to their privacy and whether they're married or not they don't have to divulge every detail of their lives. But at the same time, you always hear stories on the news about people who have been married for years, and one day the guy goes nuts and cuts his wife up into little pieces. In that aspect, I wouldn't want my husband to keep anything from me obviously, but I don't mind if he had secrets because I would certainly have my own.

David G. 13-14 said...

I don't think that keeping secrets from family members is a bad thing. I'm sure that everyone at one point or another has kept a secret from their family, however I don't see the need in keeping secrets from family. Of all people, I can tell my family anything and know that they'll still be their for me no matter what I told them.

Cieran B. 5-6 said...

1. I would feel shocked and happy at the same time to find out they had not passed away. For it means that the person would not have to weep for them anymore.
2. If my family member hid something from me i would not be mad for if it was my family it was for my own good. Like Baba in The Kite Runner, when he hid his secret from Amir it was so Hassan and Ali would not be disgraced.

Bojana Duric said...

1. I would be really shocked, confused, and happy. I would be thinking how glad I am that my loved one is still alive, but then I would be so confused and shocked because I would be thinking "What actually happened the last eight years that she was 'murdered?'"

2. I think some secrets are meant to be kept. However, if the secret is life changing, then it should be told. Little white lies are told everyday, and I'm sure everyone has a few secrets they will refuse to share.

Nick E. 13-14 said...

1. If I received a letter from someone I loved who I thought had passed away, I would be both confused and almost emotionless at first. When you discover someone you loved has died, you feel lost and almost as if your own world might come to an end. Then when you find that the person had never really died, it almost makes your previous feelings a lie or useless... at least in my opinion.

2. I'm sure some of my family members have kept secrets from me. As I have kept secrets from them. Everyone has secrets. And as a relative, I don't think they would hide information to purposefully hurt you. It's usually to protect you and is for your own benefit.

Alexander C. [13-14] said...

1. If this happened to me the first thought that would come to my mind would be one of disbelief. I wouldn't be able to take the person telling me the news seriously because I couldn't accept the fact that my loved one has come back to life, or been alive the whole time. Getting over someone's death is a very hard thing to do. To realize they had been alive the whole time would be very hard for one to reverse the feelings they once had.

2. Secrets that occur within families today can sometimes tear these families apart. I have witnessed this happen to some members of my own family.
Let's go back to about 1973. My grandparents (on my father's side of the family) are living happily in their quaint home on E. 300th St. in Wickliffe Ohio. My grandmother, who comes from a large Italian family with 7 other siblings, frequently scheduled play dates with her children (my uncle, father, and aunt) and her sister-in-law's children. One day her other sister-in-law found out she was scheduling play dates with the first sister-in-law without even inviting her. My grandmother never liked her one sister-in-law because she was very condescending so she chose not to include her with her children's play dates. This little secret my grandmother kept from her one brother's wife has separated our family for nearly 30 years. These small indifferences need to be realized when they start before families like mine can be torn apart.

Dana D 11-12 said...

1. Quite honestly I'd be pissed. I would want to know why they had randomly disappeared and why they decided to keep that a secret from me. I would be glad that they were actually alive but I would definitely feel betrayed.

Greg P. 13-14 said...

It always hurts and is never easy when someone keeps a secret from you. It hurts even worse when someone close to you such as a family member keeps that secret.

McKenzieM 11-12 said...

I think that secrets can be a good thing and most families have them. But in most cases I think it hurts knowing that they felt they couldn't tell you, or discuss it with you.

Kaitlyn H 11-12 said...

2. I think it is normal to keep secrets from your family because what they don't know can't hurt them. However, it is only okay to keep them to try to protect your family.

Rachel T said...

1. If I got a message from someone I thought was dead I would probably be shocked because I wouldn't be able to believe that someone I thought was dead for so long was actually alive. I'd also be a little upset because if that person and I were close I'd feel like they either didn't care as much as I did, or like they couldn't trust me. At the same time I would obviously be happy that they were alive.
2. When it comes to secrets I know that everyone has their own and that they aren't entitled to sharing them with me, so I probably wouldn't be that hurt, but at the same time it depends on what the secret was.

Dana G. 13-14 said...

1. How would you feel if you received a message from someone you cared about that you thought had passed away as Margot did to Alex?

I would be in shock. I do not know what I would do. I would probably be curious to why and how they are still alive. Also, I would want to know what really happened.

Jacci L. 11-12 said...

1. In all honesty, I did receive a message from someone who passed away, except not in the way Margot did. It was honestly scary and completely freaked me out. We found out one of our family members was playing a joke on us, but it wasn't funny at all. The idea that someone you know has passed away like Margot and you got a message from that someone is unreal and leads to doubts and hoping that your loved one maybe isn't dead. If my loved one died as Margot and I got that message knowing that she died that way, I believe my family would be in a frenzy trying to figure out whats going on, where she is, and who sent us the message, if it was her or someone else.

Anonymous said...

1. it depends on why that person has covered up their death. if they did it to run away then i would be furious because, if i missed them a lot, i would want them back in my life. if they did it to protect themselves and they needed to stay away then i would support them because i apparently care about this person.
2. well actually my dad keeps a lot of things from me. for 2 reasons. 1 i am very sensitive to things especially things involving family and 2 i have a really bad temper. usually my dad keeps things from me so i believe everythings ok, like the time they thought he had cancer...that was fun. i wish my family would never keep secrets because in reality i love all of my family very much and knowing the truth is the best.

Vanessa D. 13-14 said...

2.) If a family member kept secrets from me, I would feel like I had been lied too for my entire life. I would feel like the trust I once had with them was non-existant and I would begin to question our relationship with each other.

Amanda Z. 11-12 said...

1. I would probably be shocked, a bit confused, and completely escatic (is that how you spell it?). It would be wonderful to have somone 'come back' but I might also be angry with them for leaving me in the first place.
2. I suppose I would feel betrayed. I'd want that person to know that they could trust me and that secrets shouldn't even be had. Trust is so important in relationships and secrets just mess that up.

tyler k 13-14 said...

Answering the first question, i would feel horrible since i was not able to see them before they passed. Hopefully i would not have been previously fighting with them or said something i might regret if i had to end on that note.

Megan L.11-12 said...

I know there are lots of things about my family that I don't know, and honestly, seeing as how no one in my family who is close to me is dead, I don't care to know the "secrets" of my family. I mean, I guess it's nice to know things about my family that I never knew but then again, I'm happy just knowing what I know now. And I'm 100% positive that my family is happy just knowing what they know about me right now. I guess everybody's answer is different but I'm happy with my family and I don't feel as though there is something missing, like this mans murdered wife.