July 5th, 2017 at 05:31am
When Finny first appeared at the bar, I thought this was going to another ghost story where he returns to put the blame on to the shoulders of the one who is alive - Gene, in this instance. I mean, he had been feeling guilty all the way up until getting to the bar - in fact his feeling guilty is why he made it to the bar, which is also why I thought he'd be in that drunken frenzy where he gets all this blame put onto him and the story takes a dark twist afterwards.
But it didn't! And I must say, I was kind of surprised that it ended as it did. It was a good ending, fitting as well, and uplifting and hopeful. He's realised that sure, he pushed him out of the tree but Finny, wherever he went when he died, forgave him and it was about time that he forgave himself.
I have to say that I never once thought that this was a fanfiction because, even though I don't know the fandom, it's not a oneshot where you need to know about the fandom in order to appreciate it. Because, honestly, I really liked this. I like how you summarised the moments that defines his childhood in such a way that it didn't sound all that bad, with how Finny - even though he couldn't himself - attempted to get Gene to make something of himself making the next few lines that run up to his death less tragic. It sounds strange, I know, but knowing that fact about Finny trying to get Gene to do something for himself kind of softened the blow of his death.
This is a really telling story about finding closure, and even when you do the peace may be there but you'll always remember, however little or big. It's a real sweet piece and I enjoyed reading this.
This was so, so, so well-written. I had absolutely no idea that it was a fanfiction until I saw the link to The Unpopular Fandom contest. So I’m definitely not familiar with A Separate Peace at all, but the way you wrote this made it where I didn’t have to be at all. You familiarized me with the characters, even Finny, where there was never a point where I was lost. It honestly read wholly like original fiction, it was so well done. You gave me years and years of backstory without actually overwhelming me in detail. You balanced the backstory with the current struggles by using key points in Gene’s childhood that shaped him into the adult he is now.
I really thought that this was going to take a dark turn, like Gene was going to commit suicide or end up in some serious trouble at a cheap bar, but I loved the way you went instead. It was so heartbreaking and sad, but it was also moving and hopeful. It was closure. To have Finny come to Gene and tell him that he needed to forgive himself because Finny had already long ago was just. Absolutely beautiful. It’s not where I expected this to go but I’m so glad I was wrong. I think that the memory of Finny is always going to hurt and be bright in Gene’s mind, but it won’t come with a heavy burden of guilt now. In the end, it felt like he could finally move on and breathe.
Overall, I just loved this so much. Fantastic job.