Defending Jacob 3

I have just finished reading Defending Jacob, and to me the ending was the most shocking part of the whole story. After letting myself process what I had read, I realized that Laurie had an unhinged layer in her personality. Not that she was psychotic, but more like she has a crack in her protective shell as a mother, and it just continued to grow bigger and deeper until she finally just broke under all of the pressure and stress of Jacob’s trial and the incident in Jamaica. At one time Laurie was just like every other mother. She loved her family, wanted the best for her kid, and always put them first in their time of need. However, when Jacob was accused of murder, the weight of the world began to weigh on her shoulders. She was exposed to new level of stress as time passed, and she probably felt alone when dark secrets of her family were revealed to her such as Andy’s family’s past, and Jacobs disturbing personality. I do believe that she was healing after the trial was officially over and they took their vacation as a family. However, when the incident occurred in Jamaica, the memories of those feelings came rushing back and she remembered the painful and lonely nights where she and Andy bickered, the stress and worry of keeping Jacob safe, and the media attention that would eventually push her over the edge. That was her breaking point. So instead of trying to heal herself and let her family help her through it, she decided that the cracks in her shell were already too deep and big. No matter how much she healed, they would always be there as scars for a reminder of how much pain she was in, and how she never wants to feel that way again.