Helen DeWitt, “Diary of Being Stalked” (London Review of Books, 4153 words)

Helen DeWitt’s piece “Diary of Being Stalked” gives us an unconventional viewpoint of a woman who is being stalked and how not every stalking case is the same. Her stalker “E” was often too helpful and affectionate, everyday showing up when her lights were on and smothering her with unneeded help. She tells her story beginning in the present,the main points being a flashback and then bringing readers to the present again for the conclusion. She describes her stalker with such ease and as if he were any other person, which really throws off the reader. I would definitely say a thing to steal about this piece is that it definitely could be relatable for stalking victims. Along with that it was an emotionally written piece, but I didn’t sense an intense anger in the writings, she felt almost sympathetic for stalker. As if she sensed that he needed a friend, but she knew he had much deeper problems than that, especially from what she had heard from local police and the stalker’s landlord. The tone of the piece even though it is supposed to be scary is actually quite readable. It does not make me feel tense or scared something awful is going to happen. I think many people don’t want to read pieces about stalkers because they worry it will be suspenseful and build up to something really graphic.