Chapter 7

The nightmare continues: Now Matt has been suspended from school for at least 3 days and his original plan, to turn everything into a big joke with an article for the school paper, seems to have fallen apart too. "At the police station Matt came to understand why a person in custody, though innocent, suddenly confesses" shows his black despair very well. It must be awful to be unable to convince people of your own innocence, how can you make somebody believe your story, if he trusts "reliable" sources?!
While I was reading, a documentary came to my mind, simulating one week of the terrible, lawless and inhuman "prison" Guantanamo. The volunteers experienced the full intensity of the treatment, the real prisoners faced every day. And there was one sentence, which really made me think of the film: Although he hadn't done anything in real life and only took part in a simulation, he was actually tempted to confess "anything", just to get out.
So from this point of view, I like the very realistic details, which make it easier to understand the feelings of the protagonists. The joyful and self-confident Matt is suddenly confronted with "weakness" and "rage"(p.59, l.18), and doesn't know to handle these unusual feelings. But then, a sliver of hope comes up with Ugly Girl...