To Steal or Not To Steal

“Don’t be afraid to steal, just steal the right stuff.” - Mike Monteiro

Warning: Book Spoiler Alert

Would you steal something from someone if you thought he/she was dead? Not physically take anything off of a bloody or cold, dead body, but would you take something that didn’t belong to you if you were the only person who knew about it?

In Kill All Your Darlings by David Bell, a student disappears, is presumed dead, and her college professor publishes her manuscript as his own.

The novel intrigued me not only because I love a suspense/thriller story but also because the main character/thief, Connor Nye, is an English professor. He's a fraud as he gives advice to his students about their writing while he's unmotivated and inconsistent with his own.

This book enticed me for a couple reasons. One, I have a degree in English and while I have no desire to teach, I've enjoyed writing since I was younger. I write regularly for both my personal and professional life so I was interested in reading a story that focused on characters who share my interests in writing. To see what similarities and differences I’d notice between the writers in the novel and myself. To see how they maneuver through those difficulties and cope with critiques. See their thoughts and feelings on writing versus my own, any tips/tricks for better writing.

Before and during my reading, I reminisced about my time as an English major in college. Thoughts of declaring my major, writing countless papers, and confiding in professors about my writing popped up every now and then. I remember reading course description after course description to make sure I selected the most interesting courses.

I recall selecting one course simply because the syllabus mentioned reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - one of my favorite books. I’ve read it multiple times and never tire of it, especially in an academic capacity where different aspects of the book are brought to light and discussed by different professors. Though I’ve read it over and over, I discover new elements of chapters and scenes to delve into with each re-read.

Love me some Scout and Atticus Finch.

Two, the irony of an English professor plagiarizing work. Plagiarism is wrong and should be taken seriously in any capacity. In a college setting, this holds true. Universities provide definitions and details on academic misconduct and the actions that will be taken against students who cheat, plagiarize, display academic dishonesty, etc.

The University of Michigan, my alma mater (Go Blue!), not only has notes on plagiarism and academic dishonesty on their website, but they also have similar information under the English curriculum section on the site, as if to say us English majors really really shouldn’t cheat or plagiarize.

Would you steal something from someone if you thought he/she was dead like the professor in the novel did?

It’s a no for me because my conscience would eat me alive and I need peace of mind more than anything, but I could see the temptation that led to the professor's actions.

Writing isn’t always easy, writer’s block is a bitch and there are always those back and forth thoughts of self praise and self doubt. Many of us writers want to be bestselling authors one day so I get it. One of the differences between me and the professor is that he was surrounded by other English professors, some of whom had already written great novels and achieved tenure. I don't have friends, family, or coworkers in the same field as me to constantly compare myself to.

“Comparison is the death of peace and well-being.” Anonymous

Connor Nye wanted to be a published author, so much so that he risked his career and reputation to do it. Would you steal something from someone if you thought he/she was dead? Connor thought his student was dead, but thinking isn’t knowing.

Because of that, the professor ran into unforeseen issues. Madeline, the former student he stole the story from, was in fact alive and well. She even appeared right on his doorstep to talk. To make matters worse, the novel published was a thriller about the murder of a woman. However, details in the novel are similar to details of an actual murder that occurred a few years ago so the police question him, insisting the novel implicates him as the murderer. Additionally, Madeline ends up murdered as well.

Now Connor is faced with a decision to confess to plagiarizing the novel to clear his name as a serial murderer or stay silent about the novel and try to get the cops off his back. What would you do? And do you feel bad for him for having to struggle with this decision?

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In Kill All Your Darlings, Madeline's novel developed after an English professor acted inappropriately, making sexual advances and innuendos. Consequently, these were also the causes of her death.

Madeline wasn't the first to experience unprofessional gestures, but like other students, she did not report what happened. Madeline and others didn’t have the courage to speak up about their experience, fearing the difficulties and issues it would cause for them as opposed to feeling that they would be protected by the university they were enrolled in.

Before her murder, Madeline gave the original copy of her story to Rebecca, another student in the English department, as opposed to the head of the department or the police. The two weren't friends but they'd had classes together and seen each other at parties hosted by English professors. Since the two weren't close, I wondered why Madeline gave the story to Rebecca but I believe Rebecca knew the professor throwing parties was up to no good. I also believe it's a testament that women stand up for women more than men and authority figures.

I experienced uncomfortable encounters with a male teacher in high school and did not tell anyone. I know others who have had similar experiences with teachers in high school and I wouldn’t be so naïve to think similar inappropriate behavior doesn’t happen to women at universities.

A friend shared that a former professor of hers was evaluated for sexual harrassment of female students who made reports to the university and shared their experiences during class. While it makes me sick to think of how people abuse their power, I was pleased that some ladies spoke to the university and, more importantly, that the university responded properly.

Sometimes victims experience self doubt, second guessing, and fear of retaliation and choose not to report anything. It upsets me even when I know the scenario isn’t real, but what’s more upsetting is that I’m sure sexual harassment still runs rampant in academia. I'm sure universities or other authority figures abuse their power to silence their victims. In the novel, we see the lengths to which those in power will go to cover it up. I'd love to believe that victims in the real world aren't silenced by death, but I just don't.

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While not as thrilling or suspenseful as I usually like, overall, I enjoyed the book. The plot was nice - a stolen story being published and then implicating the thief in a murder. The pacing of the story was nice, the chapters are rather short, and the structure of alternating between past and present was done effectively. The ending was a bit predictable but there was a nice twist. I've read a book by David Bell before that I enjoyed in addition to Kill All Your Darlings, and I'll definitely pick up another one of his novels in the future.

Last thing - I was curious about the title. Kill All Your Darlings. I don't recall it being said or mentioned in the novel and it didn't have an obvious meaning, to me at least. Out of curiosity, I Googled it, and kill all your darlings is a phrase that originated from William Faulkner and refers to writing. (Shame on me for not knowing. Maybe shame on my professors for never mentioning that. Anyway).

In writing, you must kill all your darlings and eliminate any sentences, characters, or plots that you personally enjoy/love for the sake of a better story. The more you know.