SimonSays.com

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While reading "Remember when" I noticed that in this book there were no such words as "I love you". I know that actually all of the protagonists in your books consider such words to be the most important ones, so why the hero of "Remember when" didn't say Diana he loved her? Maybe it is only in translated variant of the book or maybe it is so in the original variant too? If so, then why?

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You're right--Cole Harrison doesn't say "I love you." In this particular book, I made a judgment call about that and I'll explain my logic but it's more a belief and an instinct than rational logic. Try to follow me, but it won't be easy...

First of all, I think that the first time the words "I love you" are spoken by a character, they should have tremendous impact; the phrase should not be of lesser importance than anything that's gone before in that scene.

Second, if you recall, Cole Harrison did not believe in love. He was also a confirmed athiest--for understandable reasons. In fact, he was inwardly ludicrous about Diana's family's traditional prayer before their meal. Remember? He did not even want to participate.

Now, because of his rejection of the concept of love--and his rejection of all things related to "God," there's a part of a scene that then becomes especially powerful. It occurs right after Diana and he make love outside on the porch, and he actually prays that she'll say the words. It goes like this:

"Afterward, as she lay crushed tightly in his arms, the tears falling softly on his chest were hers. He felt them there as he stared beyond, where stars once bright and clear wavered and shimmered before gray eyes now strangely blurry.

He closed his eyes and knelt beneath the heavens, head bowed.

He offered bargains, bribes, and promises.

And when no answer came, he whispered fiercely, "Please."

He laid his hand against her wet cheek; she turned her face into his palm. "I love you," she whispered.

He was blessed...

I ended the scene there, believing that we would all assume he said "I love you, too." immediately after, even though I didn't show him saying that.

I did not show him saying that because in that instance, I felt the words "I love you, too," would have been of lesser importance than the prayer he'd offered. I didn't want to diminish his prayer, nor did I want to diminish the phrase "I love you, too."

Remember--I said earlier, my philosophy is that the phrase "I love you" should never take second place to anything else said in a scene.

Later on in the book, I could have made an occasion to have him say those words, but it seemed unnecessary to me at the time. I probably should have done it, anyway, but there wasn't another scene as touching or climatic as the earlier one. And again, I thought it was a foregone conclusion he'd said it to Diana, probably often, since she had no doubts or concerns about it or about his lack of having verbalized it.

As I said...it's a difficult thought process to explain on my part, and probably harder for you to follow.

Thanks for your answer. I like very much the idea, that a phrase I LOVE YOU "should not be of lesser importance than anything that's gone before..."

I think it's just another instance where we have thoroughly dissected the book, and found something we could debate.

I didn't notice that he never said "I love you", because I thought it was obvious he did when he was kneeling down in heaven asking "please".

Also when Diana went to him in Dallas and he is standing before the window and she asks what he is doing, and he says praying and he is praying for her etc. I thought that moment was so wonderful.

I guess we all interpret the stories in different ways, but either way you look at it, they are all truly magnificent.