Who Killed Theresa?: James Ellroy's The Haunting

This week's Newsweek is a special Summer double issue on True Crime featuring an incredible essay by James Ellroy, The Haunting. It's about the murder of of 17-year-old Lily Burk, but what it's really about is the struggle to objectify and articulate the bereavement process. An absolute must-read for crime victims, here's an excerpt:

"The dead claim the living and extend the process through the imposition of grief. It is the juncture of powerlessness and harrowing loss. Byroads of guilt and rage lead to the assignment of blame, the desire for vengeance, and the embrace of the preposterous notion of closure. Bereavement is inherently ambiguous and unique to each carrier of grief. The timelines vary. The emotional arc is wholly unpredictable. Powerlessness and the corresponding sense of loss obliterate all attempts to blame and all planned forays of vengeance. This is entirely as it should be. This is the living telling the dead how much they are loved and how irretrievable the loss of them is. This is communion of the highest spiritual form."

Who Killed Theresa?

Friday, August 07, 2009

James Ellroy's The Haunting

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