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unlovelyladybartleby t1_ja85bqp wrote

I love Harris' books, but as a person with a cleft lip and palate, I have a deep hatred for Red Dragon

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claimingthemoorland OP t1_ja8r9hq wrote

From your perspective did Harris mess up how it affects a person through the narrative?

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unlovelyladybartleby t1_ja9anon wrote

I'm not a serial killer if that's what you're asking, lol. It definitely has an impact on self-esteem and health, but it's basically unheard of for anyone born after 1950 within a few hours of a hospital to not have had basic corrective surgery, so Harris was really reaching. But he's older and so is the book, so from anyone without a cleft he'd probably get a pass

I was offended by the portrayal, but people with clefts get shit on in a lot of books (Stephen King and Augusten Burroughs, I'm glaring at you). Often, having a cleft is used as an example of being disgusting or a reason to shun someone. But no one cares - people get criticized for shitting on other disabilities, but no one seems to care about facial defects. Probably because we don't have any hot celebrities as spokespeople.

I will say, Wally Lamb did a decent job of portraying Thomas and Dom's mom in the Hour I First Believed

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DunmerMaiden t1_ja9z8cn wrote

I've only read the book once so my thoughts on this may be more from the movie version, but I got the feeling that no one else thought he was hideous except him. Like to everyone else he was a normal dude with a little bit of a lisp and it was his own trauma that made him zero in on whatever "flaws" he had as a way to make himself feel like a piece of shit.

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claimingthemoorland OP t1_ja9bxt6 wrote

Oh no! Not what I was asking! To your point, which I think is pedantic of me to say, but it's an interesting fact about the character. Francis was born on June 14, 1938, I do not know if Harris carried your initial point when he published in the 80's.

For sure the story revolves heavily around his societal rejection from his lip and how it effects his interactions with people in his later years and it's brutal.

I'll be sure to add the movie to the things to watch!

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