Case Closed

They thought she’d met her end

The Hudson’s cruel, dark face

But she lives on instead

And is gone without a trace.

They thought she’d never breathe again

But oh, they were dead wrong

For she breathes anew, and with a friend

Her love goes on and on.

She’s with the one she wants now

She’s with the one she needs

Days ago, she wondered how

To escape herself, be  free.

She’s with him and life is fine

He’s with her in that place

She left herself and them behind

He hoped she’d follow in his pace.

Her family shall mourn

For they know not the truth

They think she’s joined the one above

And her fairytale is through.

But Elizabeth has merely reached

Another life’s chapter

She couldn’t live there, her hopes were beached

But now rings out her laughter.

                I wrote this poem about Elizabeth’s escape in the end of The Luxe, by Anna Godbersen.  Elizabeth staged her own death in the Hudson River so that she could leave New York and follow the man she loves. I thought this was very romantic, so I wrote a poem to express that feeling. It’s about how hopelessness and despair turned to joy and resolution. Overall, I enjoyed reading The Luxe. The beginning was a bit tedious, and at one point I considered abandoning it, but I stuck with it and now I’m glad I did.

                I don’t think it was necessary for Elizabeth to go to such harsh measures, especially when you examine the effect it had on her family. They were sobbing, Elizabeth’s mother, her aunt, her sister. She hurt so many people, and for what? Her desire was not to leave her family in financial or emotional crisis, but wouldn’t her family rather she was off to elope with a poor man then floating dead somewhere along the Hudson? And she wanted her sister Diana to have a chance, eventually, to wed Henry Schoonmaker, who was her fiancé, because she knew of their affair. She didn’t love Henry anyway. But wouldn’t it look suspicious for the dead girl’s younger sister to engage a relationship with the dead girl’s fiancé? What kind of damage would that put her family’s reputation through? I don’t believe Elizabeth thought her decision through very carefully.

                I admire Elizabeth’s bravery and dedication to who she loves. But where will they go together? How will they get any money to support themselves, now that Elizabeth’s abandoned her family? She can’t exactly go home and ask to borrow some money--they’d think they’d gone mad, seeing ghosts. If her family truly loved her, wouldn’t they accept her decision to leave? She says she’s worried about her reputation in her city. What would the locals think if she ran off to marry a coachman? But I say, you’re already making the rashest decision of your life. One report in the gossip column won’t hurt you too much, and besides, you’re never going back, so what does it matter if all the townspeople think you’re unladylike?

                All in all, the end of The Luxe was not very inspiring. A book’s resolution should make the reader think about their own life. However, the book gets points in the gripping department. It depends on what kind of reader you are—but I’m definitely reading the sequel.