Thursday, July 2, 2015

Character of the Week: Maryanne from Amnesie

Life is constant change. No one knows that better than Maryanne Jones.




Maryanne had a simple life in upstate New York. She was born and raised in the North Country. It was a quiet, solid upbringing. She knew the harshest of winters, and the sweetest of summers. Like so many people, Maryanne could never home. Despite the weather, and the simplicity of life, there was a draw to northern New York that very few people could resist.



Maryanne was fortunate enough to find a job that she loved working for a cell and telecommunications company. She did very well there, working her way up from entry-level to mid-management. She was proud of her accomplishments and career. She was living a life that many people only dream of: one where she loved her job, and she loved her home.



She purchased an old farm house with six acres by an apple orchard. It was the perfect house. It was big and old, and it had tons of charm and character. It was a lot of house for one woman, but Maryanne wouldn't have it any other way.




Maryanne and Elfi met by chance. Elfriede was doing an internship in pediatric nursing at Rome Memorial Hospital. Maryanne had gone there to fix some of the phone lines throughout the hospital. At one point, Maryanne was in an office where Elfi was working. Maryanne asked for Elfi's assistance. In the short time they worked together fixing the phone line, there was a chemistry that neither woman could deny. Maryanne gave Elfi her number. The rest, as they say, is history. Elfi was able to get a position at RMH, and she joined Maryanne in the big old farm house.



One night, Maryanne was driving home from work when a drunk driver hit her. It was a horrific crash. At first, she had been presumed dead, until one of the paramedics found the slightest of pulses. It was a miracle that she survived.




She was in a coma for a month. When she awoke, she had lost almost all of her faculties. She went through extensive rehab, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. Her recovery was a very long and difficult one.



Maryanne's recollection of her hospital stay was fuzzy at best. She knew she had been away from her home for an extended period of time. She couldn't be sure, though, if she was in a hospital or hotel. She remembered having a job, but did not understand why she could no longer work. She knew things had changed, but she wasn't sure why or what.




At first, things seemed to go well. Her home coming was a good one, and she and Elfi got into a good routine fairly quickly. Being home-bound, though, began to wear away at her. Day in and day out, Maryanne became increasingly bored. Her life suddenly became mundane. It also seemed that as time went on, Elfi became more distant. What Maryanne remembered of her - or what she thought she remembered of her - was very different from the woman she currently lived with. The more time went on, the more bizarre things seemed to become.



This is where we meet Maryanne in her story. Alone and confused. There seems to be tremendous discord, tension, and miscommunication. After 8 years, had their relationship run its course?
                                 


Everything seems to be wrong for both women. Neither feels they can say or do the right thing by the other. Things are misplaced, conversations are confusing...nothing adds up. Finally at a breaking point, Elfi makes one last consorted effort to save their relationship - and Maryanne.



Maryanne does not realize that she is a strong woman for having survived all that she had. Tender, but fierce, wise, yet confused, she is a woman who is simply trying to make sense of the world around her.

Favorite quote from Maryanne: "I can’t trust you! You lie to me. You hide things. You keep changing everything. How the hell am I supposed to trust you?"


Happy reading!
http://www.amazon.com/Amnesie-Lauren-Shiro-ebook/dp/B007NJQZZA/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428801539&sr=1-9&keywords=lauren+shiro


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