Five Hole Fiction #2
Thompson
alright. mid-read check. who’s hit chapter fourteen
Kowalski
finished it last night
Berger
finished it Tuesday
Mueller
i’m on chapter sixteen
Marchetti
fifteen
Davis
same. fifteen
Hájek
i am on chapter seventeen. i could not stop
M?kinen
fourteen
Thompson
good. so everyone’s past the briefing room scene
Davis
THE brIEFING ROOM SCENE
Thompson
she walks in. she sees him behind the podium. and the reader just
Davis
the FLOOR drops
Kowalski
it’s a very well-constructed reveal. she has thirteen chapters of anonymous intimacy and then the professional context lands on top of it like a brick
Hájek
i had to put my phone down after this scene. she is standing in a room full of people and she is completely alone with what she knows
Davis
the part where she almost says his name and catches herself? i held my breath
Thompson
first act rating. i’m giving it a 4.2 out of 5. the anonymous meeting is strong, the chemistry is earned, the workplace collision is structurally clean. docking for pacing in chapters six through eight
Mueller
you gave it a decimal
Berger
decimals reflect precision Mueller
Mueller
the decimal is statistical theater. i gave the first act a 4
Thompson
can we talk about the actual book
Kowalski
please
Thompson
so she finds out who he is. and she stays. she keeps showing up to the briefings. she keeps working the beat. she doesn’t recuse herself and she doesn’t disclose
Kowalski
the question is whether she should have
Thompson
yes. obviously. you find out the person you’ve been sleeping with is your professional counterpart and you recuse. immediately. that’s the ethical move
Marchetti
it’s not that simple
Thompson
it is exactly that simple
Marchetti
she can’t just walk away from the assignment. it’s the biggest story of her career. and it’s not like she planned any of it. they didn’t know. nobody lied to anybody
Thompson
the not-knowing is the problem. once you DO know, you have a responsibility to the work. to the institution
Marchetti
sure. but you also have a responsibility to the thing that’s real. the connection didn’t stop being real just because the context changed
Thompson
the connection being real is exactly WHY you recuse. because it compromises the work
Marchetti
or the work is better because you actually understand the person. because you’re not performing distance you don’t feel
Kowalski
Marchetti you are very invested in the professional ethics dimension of a fictional workplace romance
Marchetti
i’m invested in the BOOK Kowalski. that’s what book clubs are for
Kowalski
...sure
Hájek
i have a question. if the meeting was anonymous, does that change the ethical situation? because they did not choose the professional conflict. it found them. in the book Sloane says “i didn’t choose this.” and i think she is correct. she did not choose it
Davis
yes. but the foundation is honest. they were honest with each other before they had any reason not to be. does that not count for something
Kowalski
Hájek asking the real questions as usual
Hájek
i am simply trying to understand whether the timing of knowledge changes the weight of the obligation
Thompson
it SHOULD. but i take the point
Berger
for the record i think the press secretary has it easier. his institution protects him differently. she’s the one who loses her job if it comes out
Davis
that part is hard to read. she’s doing all the work and he doesn’t fully understand what she’s risking
Marchetti
he understands. he just can’t fix it. that’s different
Fontenot
secrets cost more the longer you carry them
Hájek
yes. that is exactly right
M?kinen
the cat scene in chapter eleven was good
Davis
oh. yeah that was a nice detail actually
Kowalski
okay so we’re all finishing by next week? i want to discuss the ending when it comes
Thompson
agreed. finish by next Tuesday
Berger
Mueller where are you on The Trades by the way
Mueller
finished it
Thompson
and?
Mueller
the reading order was... not arbitrary
Thompson
screenshot
Mueller
i said it wasn’t arbitrary. i didn’t say the methodology was sound
Marchetti
everyone finish “Off the Record” by Tuesday. i want to know how it ends
Hájek
you want to know how the secret resolves
Marchetti
i want to know how the book ends Hájek. that’s a normal thing to want
Hájek
of course. i did not mean anything else by it
M?kinen
sure