16 Comments
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Saint-Lazare's avatar

The roomate is fleshier than ever, yet the text went deep inside mine, I'm sure it left bruises. Art bruises, of course.

Will Boucher's avatar

Art bruises are the best kind! Thanks for reading, appreciate ya :)

Sean Thomas McDonnell's avatar

All hits all the time. Can't wait for the book. Might need to get a new book case just for hits.

Will Boucher's avatar

Its very own bookcase to keep the roommate from contaminating other books

Nick Buchheit's avatar

We can all remember the time and place when it all happened. That day is so very clear to me even though it was so long ago.

Per usual you’ve painted an elegant, funny, and poignant picture.

Will Boucher's avatar

Same here, the part about being taken out of school and driving through the hills and seeing the smoke is true, I remember the terror vividly

Nick Buchheit's avatar

I was in my 8th home room. Vocab class. Mrs. K turned on the tiny TV in the far corner because she thought a plane accidentally ran into one of the two towers. We watched the smoke billowing and a few minutes later saw the second plane crash into the other tower. TV went off after that.

Will Boucher's avatar

damn, same here. lived in NJ (30 min from NYC) saw smoke,mom took me home, no tv for the day

Stephanie Sweeney's avatar

Eighth grade for me as well, same with the TV being turned on and then off after the second plane. We didn’t realize how serious it was of course, and maybe being farther from NY made it seem less real to us at the time, too. But you brought me right back with the smoke billowing on screen and parents coming early to get their kids.

The prose was so sharp. Agree that this one felt different

Will Boucher's avatar

Thanks for reading Stephanie…wow eighth grade must have been different! I was in second so I didn’t really have much of a handle on what exactly was happening

Nick Winney's avatar

This one is...almost too deep, my friend. it tasted personal. I wanted the dark joy that knowing cynicism can bring, but you gave us a different sort of knowing.

Art indeed.

Will Boucher's avatar

it’s a different flavor for sure, was trying to stretch the roommate genre, I’m glad it triggered some sort of knowing

Caroline Osella   (they/them)'s avatar

Dear God, this series has grown into itself. Even roommate is finding humanity, dragon satin notwithstanding. Hot pocket indeed. The contrapuntal work in this piece was dizzying.

Will Boucher's avatar

thanks so much Caroline! Did it make you crave a Hot Pocket?

Caroline Osella   (they/them)'s avatar

Made me cry once more about the things that pass as food in USA. But I appreciated RM's most maternal of gestures.

Will Boucher's avatar

maybe the RM isn’t as bad as we thought…