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Realism and Ambiguity

Luke Kenzel's letter to Robert Cormier

Hudson letters057.jpg

Hudson letters058.jpg

In this hand-written letter, Luke Kenzel, a student from Hudson High School, shares his experience of reading After the First Death. He states how moved he was by the realism and the explicit events that come to pass. Luke goes on to ask questions about the relationship between Ben and the general and the details surround Ben's death and its aftermath.

Wayne Kent's letter to Robert Cormier

Hudson letters051.jpg

Hudson letters052.jpg

In this short letter, Wayne Kent writers to Robert Cormier to ask him about where he found the information he used to portray the terrorist characters. He also compliments Cormier on the realism of the traumatic experiences he depicts. Kent concludes by asking about the general's mental health.

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"The stylish, empty realism of Michael Mann" by Richard Brody, published in The New Yorker, February 5, 2016 is an interesting contrast to the letters Cormier receives from his readers. Brody articulates the almost-there quality that Mann brings to his films. Mann's fall-down, according to Brody, is too much attention to style and not enough to emotional connection. It's an interesting read and one may wonder what Brody might have said of Cormier's novels.