My Beautiful Failure
I never thought that the synopsis of My Beautiful Failure would make me buy its hard copy. I bought my copy of this book in my local bookstore. I seldom buy brand new books. In fact, most of my books were preloved copies only. But this time, this book made me broke—financially and emotionally. I almost thought that I will enjoy reading this. Almost.
Upon reading the synopsis, I decided to purchase this book. I enjoyed the first two parts of the books. But when I read the end, I was disappointed. After reading that Jenney was dead, I was very upset. At first, I never believe it. I scanned/read the next pages hoping that there would be a ‘twist’ just to make Jenney alive. However, there wasn’t. This truth made me sad. Until now, this sadness drove me to write this review/reaction.
Anyway, the story is about Billy, a guy who served as a volunteer at Listeners—a hotline wherein suicidal or depress people call in order to feel better. The current situation of his father made Billy join this group. At first, he didn’t like the first few Incomings who called. But, after hearing and understanding an Incoming named Jenney, Billy looked forward of hearing this girl’s voice all over again.
At Listeners, all volunteers were not allowed to share something about themselves. One of their rules was to let the Incoming speak. All they had to do was to listen. But Billy broke this rule. In one of the scenes, he dictated his address to Jenney. He also stalked Jenney when she became Likely—or someone who had tendencies of dying.
I hated the fact that Jenney died. I had a lot of questions in my head. What if she didn’t die? What if she went to Billy’s house? What if she followed Billy’s instruction of calling 911? What if… Darn what ifs.
After reading this story, I realized that being a good listener is a must. It’s not necessary to talk. Sometimes, all we need is to listen sincerely.
