Response to J.J. Nelson's "Lessons"

            J.J.’s story is very intriguing.  The story combined with the dialogue and topped with the final twist was a lot of fun to read.  In a nutshell, the story revolves around a young American boy who is visiting Italy for vacation.  During his stay, he meets a shady old man in which he and the boy exchange words.  The majority of the story takes place on a train car, which is a metaphor for “life” in the narrative.  As the conversation between the two characters get more intense, the train finally stops to let the boy off.  In a clever twist, the once perceived helpless and innocent young boy is revealed to be a pickpocket (and a talented one at that).

            Overall, I really enjoyed the story.  The dialogue was good and not too clunky.  However, I did feel like the “thought bubbles” trickled throughout the story were unnecessary.  I wish that J.J. would either cut those out or show more detail to give the readers a clue to what is actually happening instead of cuing in thoughts.  The plot was also very enticing.  J.J. plays with perception in this story.  He introduces two random characters and based on appearances, allows the reader to immediately make preconceived notions.  The only thing I didn’t like about the story was the conversations about “life” between the two characters.  It seemed a bit forced, and too preachy and cliché.

            The twist is what makes the story interesting.  I think that the author proves an interesting point that one should always reserve judgment.  For all we know, this character travels the world and makes a living off of thieving.  I like the open-ended feeling to the story.  It was conclusive and yet sparse and imaginative.  I had a good time reading this story and I hope to read more from J.J. soon.