As part of his 12-step program, William Beebe apologizes to Liz Seccuro for the harm he caused her. He and others expect Seccuro to forgive and move on. Not surprisingly, this is not something she can do. This excellent piece reconstructs a series of events with good detail; it also gets at the perspectives of both characters. Gelineau portrays them both three-dimensionally: Beebe is not a cookie-cutter villain; Seccuro is not simply a passive victim. As a result, the story offers surprises and touches on interesting ideas.

Notice the way Gelineau handles the he said/she said aspect of the story: She reports what each recalls.

It’s an unusual tale, the kind that readers talk about with friends.

Read “One Man’s Quest for Forgiveness, One Woman’s Nightmare,” by Kristen Gelineau

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