All Comments on 'So Close to Oblivion'

A totally absorbing story well written, would like more like this.

Tom seemed to pick up most of the blame for the split. I think that was unjust. He had none of the fault really. It was all on her.

So, Tom gets made out to be the bad guy. Nevermind that his stupid, tunnel visioned, delusional wife failed to see what Tom had carefully observed. He even pointed out all the steps taking place. It was only when she "refused" to even contemplate that he might be correct that he became frustrated and more aggressive/angry. Then when she was being manipulated and deceived by her bosses and lied to, she never discussed anything with Tom. Naturally he just got worked up that she refused to see what was happening in front of her. Even when what he had stated would happen, began to happen. No, it's all Tom's fault.

So it's Tom who has to change and accept her delusions. To pander to her stupidity. Even after he "saved" her from effectively being raped, she still doesn't understand that SHE was in the wrong all throughout.

A sad, sad, conclusion. He'd be far better off just divorcing her and washing his hands of her.

Nice story, although I believe it was more her fault than his. She put her faith in people other than her husband. Did the people she worked with show her proof? No. Once the wife was shown proof by her husband she still did not believe him. He told her the two shrews where going to get her to screw someone, she did not believe him. The told her to choose him or divorce and she still did not choose him. I understand that for the story you had to make it 50% his fault, but in reality it was 90% her fault.

1 star and there should never have been the option of a RAAC.

Holy crap. This story is absolutely ridiculous. Tom isn't the bad guy and yet you somehow twisted him to be. He went to her with concerns and she brushed him off and then fucking did everything possible to SPY on him, showing that she had no trust in him even more than not listening and talking about his concerns with him. He started off just kind of hesitant and she said he was being silly. Then it got worse and she still didn't listen. But he's the bad guy. What a load of drivel.

made it until the magical hypnosis again.

Well done, but his assuming all of the blame is both inaccurate and solipsistic on his part.

I'm glad that the husband overcame all the foolishness in the end!

5

That was bad. The recent stories by this author have been pretty similar but this one might be unique in that I never recall the other similar stories of work drama with the wife being seduced by a boss ending with the husband being the one to blame. The husband somehow wound up being the bad guy because he was "inflexible", that he should have worked with her to shut down her seduction despite the wife putting up roadblocks about any of his concerns, that she "withdrew". She was the one who was being inflexible I think. she was the one at fault and yet the blame is turned on him....... somehow. 1 star and I hate giving it because I've liked a lot of this author's stories until recently.

So Diana believed her coworkers lies over her husband, based on no evidence and the coworkers say so only, and it the husbands fault? Totally ridiculous. Her doubts and denials of her husband's concerns had been going on long before the dances started, presumably because she thought he was cheating but you wrote that Diana said,

"At the second dance, I saw the unhappy couples Tom had spotted. I mentioned it to Brian as Tom was away. It was a few days later, Brian told me Bill had said Tom was having a fling with someone he met while away."

So in fact Diana did not even think he was cheating until just before the last dance and trip to the spa.

Tom should have divorced her and moved on. The whole "nuanced conversations" discussions was bullshit. Diana never trusted or believed Tom and betrayed him by going to the spa despite everything he told her.

There was never anything in this story that made any of Diana's actions Tom's fault. Hopefully there will be a chapter 2 with a more satisfactory explanation of Diana's behaviour and a better justification for a reconciliation. She did not cheat but she did mortally disrespect her husband for so, as yet unknown, reason.

I agree with many of the comments below…. Making Tom out to be the bad guy / at fault was a bridge too far. Overall, still an entertaining story.

You can tell a woman wrote this story. I quit reading after the 3rd page when everything somehow became Tom’s fault despite his wife being a literal drooling moron apparently incapable of self actuation, reflection, or responsibility.

She is 100% at fault, Tom did nothing wrong beyond not literally grabbing his wife and forcing her to leave the first time and not giving her an immediate ultimatum. In marriages with a solid foundation, husbands and wives do not ever dance with other people that aren’t their own kids or parents. They also trust their spouses first.

If women has so little agency then it should come as no surprise that men view them as toys or property. You wrote a story where women are literally children incapable of making their own decisions yet expect to be treated like adults. That’s not how it works.

This seems to be a women's power story. The one who fails to speak and shuts the other out is the hero. Makes no sense. It diverts blame. Empowers a destructive idea of NO FAULT. But well written.

How in the world did the husband wound up being the bad guy? The wife not trusting her husband caused all the drama.

How is the husband "inflexible"? through everything until that last night of dancing he tried to get her to see what was happening he went so far as to get proof to show her. If anything she was being inflexible, with not wanting to stop what was happening and not listening to what he was saying to her. Not only that she was saying he was cheating and so he had to fight to prove he wasn't and fight for his marriage when all she wanted was to spend time with the people at the dances.

I wouldn't have made it as far as he did and I doubt I would have thought to follow her so she would have been raped. But anyway, even if she did not sign the divorce papers I would have filed and had her served.

I'm sorry but this was ridiculous. She listens to others, brands hom a cheat due to her pack of trust. He has to physically intercede to Dave her from rapists due to her attitude and he winds up grovelling saying it's all due to his being inflexible. I try to be encouraging but this is just nonsense.

Well-written, as usual, but the logical fallacy of the husband being at fault because he was righteously angry at her refusal to acknowledge the facts were a major detraction from the story.

She cut off husband at every step but he was wrong? HELL NO!

I agree with others... this was all because of Diana ... Husband did far more than most husbands would to stop it.

poor old husbands always take the blame

Meh.

Very mid.

so as usual he is culprit

and she is victim....... although ready to whoring

1 star

I have now read this story a couple of times. The writing itself is 5 star. You are very talented. Having reviewed your bio, contrary to other commenters and my impression, this article was not written by a female.

In my first read, I was astonished at the observation that this situation was husband's fault, allowing the cheating ways of a prior woman to cause an "inflexible " position with respect to his present wife's undeniable emotional betrayal.

He attempted to broach the issue with his wife several times. It was she who was unyielding and inflexible. Despite everything he presented her, she ignored and disrespected him; even when she had witnessed behavior from the male pimps that affirmed what her husband indicated.

Then you manipulate him, screw with his psyche, and cause him to blame himself for not properly addressing her betraying behavior. Frankly, I'd have had her served with divorce papers weeks ahead given her ghastly behavior. In actuality, the wife was correct: he fought for them while she violated every principle governing the love between spouses. The fitting ending was a divorce and setting him free. Not guilting him into a relationship with an emotionally immature, unstable, and non-dependable spouse; with absolutely no assurance it wouldn't happen again. I'd expect this story to be written by Cagivagirl, not a male writer. Surprised you didn't "cuck" him as well. 1 star for context. 5 star for your writing ability. But this one just baffles me.

G

Highly recommended!!!!!

The elements are there, excellent plot, wonderfully described characters to love or hate. Good writing.

If I rated the story on the typical like scale, it would be a 1 or 2. When I treated it as literature I had to give it a five.

The problem? As a counsellor with more than 4 decades experience, I was appalled. But remember it is a great read and unless a person is an experienced counselor I doubt the flaws will be noticed.

THC

Hopefully what I'm about to say is taken as constructive criticism.

I could not get past the writing in this story. The premise seems fine. But the way the characters converse feels like a conversation between two A.I. It is super hard to get into the conversations when there is no flow at all.

It's sometimes hard to tell who is talking. The emotions the characters express seem to come out of nowhere. The first fight that Tim and Diana have, it's clear that they are supposed to be miscommunicating. But the dialog doesn't reflect the miscommunication they are having. Tim will explain what he's seen, and his wife explodes at him for no apparent reason. When she does explain she's been told that he's cheating, Tom screams at her. Those reactions don't feel real.

I think this story needs some heavy revisions. But it has a good foundation.

You had a good story going until you used the psychology crap to justify keeping the slut. Somehow you managed to blame the guy for her becoming a slut.