Tom Hunt
Thursday, February 23rd, 2006
Our friend Tom Hunt came over yesterday on his way home from school. He teaches English at a prep school near here. Poor fellow has to wear a jacket and tie every day. Anne and I have known Tom for twenty years, he’s a very close friend of ours who lives a few towns away.
When Tom’s brother in law committed suicide he decided to do some research on suicide. That led him to Beachy Head, a cliff on the coast of England where over 500 people have jumped to their deaths.
The research he did on this particular suicide spot turned into a book, Cliffs of Despair which Anne has just finished and I am about to read. Tom was here yesterday to sign our copy.
One of my favorite flickr photographers, Mystery Me specializes in landscapes and seascapes on the British coast and this shot he took at Marsden Bay, which may not be the same spot certainly reminded me of Tom’s book and of Beachy Head.
Can I read it next?
Just read everything about it at Amazon. Sounds like an intense read.
Bonnie
Of course. You may be waiting a bit, I’m slow.
What an amazing ‘take’ on this phenomenon A title to conjure with - photographs to dream with. Sylvia Plath : ‘Not waving, but drowning’. A sense nostalgia and the bittersweet. Romantising a very final ending. I make assumptions. I’d like to give it to a friend who lost her adult son to suicide but would it be too crass?
A website based on the book could be really beautiful - but then I wonder : would it assuage ‘the troubled breast’ or merely feed suicidal angst ? http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/ is a useful link.
I have been looking for a website or a way of letting Tom know how I felt about the book. Whether this gets to him or not doesnt really matter, but this book really touched me. It was truly amazing. I have been to Beachy Head and have also always been facsinated with this beautiful place. My father commited suicided and my oldest sister has Schitzophrania and is suicidal. Suicide is a very difficult situation to deal with. I was a little bit afraid to begin the book because of my family issues, but I truly enjoyed it and have passed it on to another member of my family.
Happyt, feel free to contact me at thuntjr@aol.com. I’m curious to know more about your visits to Beachy Head.