Loosely Based On

I've always loved stories that are "based on true events" or characters that are "loosely based" on real people. I guess I never really understood the concept that a character can be based on a real person without being exactly who that person is. I'm beginning to see how weird it can be, though, when those real people or events are people you know or events you've been through yourself. It turns out that it can be very surreal and even a little uncomfortable.

One of my former high school teachers, Robert Spiller, is now a published author and has written a series of mysteries loosely based on my high school, the area I live in and people I know. The man is one of the most talented people I have ever met. He has always been a brilliant storyteller in addition to being a math genius, singer, songwriter, etc. I had him for Geometry and Basic (you know, computer language before there was this little thing called Microsoft Windows). He would occasionally take time away from our lessons to tell these wonderful stories. Usually they were a little gross and disturbing, and we all ate it up. 

I was so excited when I found out that not only was he writing these mystery books, but that he picked our school and one of our teachers to use as his inspiration. He had taught in several other locations, so it felt special that we were the ones he picked. But, to be completely honest, it has made it a little hard to actually focus on the stories. I like to get lost in my reading, to be transported to a different place, but because I know the place I'm reading about, now I tend to get lost in the details. Just for the record, not one of these books is based on any real murders. We don't go around killing people out here in the boonies, but there are enough real life details in the stories to make them feel real to me.

Take the setting, for instance. When Mr. Spiller (he was my teacher, so that's how I still think of him) describes the high school hallways, common area, gym, classrooms, etc., I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE IS DESCRIBING. I don't need to imagine it because I lived/live there. Not only is it the school I went to, in almost exact detail, it is the same school my children now go to.  Same goes for the many other locations he uses in the books: landmarks, highways, stores and towns. These are places I drive by every day.

What has been hardest for me to adjust to is the characters. The main character, Bonnie Pinkwater, is a math genius teacher who solves murders. This character is based off a real person who Mr. Spiller became very good friends with during his tenure at our little school. Not only was she my advanced math teacher, I have known her all my life. My mother was also a teacher in the district from the time she was pregnant with me, so I grew up knowing most of the teachers before ever having them in class. I have been to her house; I went to school with and graduated with her kids. The similarities between this teacher and the character are obvious.  It's the differences that get me. I can picture this wonderful lady's face in my head, but then "Bonnie" will say or do something in the book that I would never, in a million years, think that the real person would say or do. I believe I actually gasped out loud a couple of times. I'm telling you, it can be really weird! Not that it's anything bad, it's just that the "character" can be so "out of character" for the real person.

The third book in the series was actually a little painful for me to read on a personal level. I would be willing to bet money that I know the person that the murder victim was loosely based on. (This person is still very much alive by the way. Like I said, no real murders here!) That person was a good friend of mine in high school, and the struggles and prejudice the victim was exposed to in the book reminded me of the real life struggles and pain of my friend. Without meaning to, it brought back memories and resentments, and this was upsetting to me.

Now I am working on the fourth book. I've actually had it for awhile, but had been putting off reading it because I knew one of the pivotal events in the book is a tornado that demolishes the high school. This tornado really happened and our high school really was destroyed. I live only 2 miles away and remember the events as if they happened yesterday. I will never forget watching the hail come down in one direction in the front of my house and then seeing that it was coming down in the opposite direction in the back of my house. While my house was spared except for some hail damage, I have many friends and family who lost houses or vehicles or suffered major damage. Fortunately, no one died and we have rebuilt, but it was a very traumatic experience for our community.

Today, I got through the portion of the book where the tornado hits the school with Bonnie inside. I cried. I keep picturing the real person inside all that destruction, and it terrifies me. Bonnie survives (thank goodness!) and as she is surveying the damage, she comes across a wall that is amazingly still standing. It holds the basketball jersey of an exceptional basketball player who led her team to back to back state championships. This part of the story is also true. No one was in the school at the time of the tornado, but this wall was still standing. The basketball player is a real person. She is my sister's best friend, and I just spent the day with her a couple of months ago and got to meet her beautiful new baby. It's these little details that I find hard to let go.

Now, please, don't get me wrong, these are amazingly written books and I think everyone should read them. It just has given me a different perspective on stories that are based on true events. How painful must it be for survivors/families of 9-11 to see stories about that tragic event? Or soldiers' families? I hope I never have to find out.