In search of the journey

We went to the theatre tonight.

We will draw a veil over the whole 'dragging Husband to something cultural' achievement. It is enough to say, we went to the theatre and pause for a moment to consider the triumph this represents....

The production was good - we enjoyed ourselves. We laughed at the right moments, tut-tutted when we were supposed to and nodded sagely when that was called for, too.

But we left feeling dissatisfied.

In pride, I have to say that it was Husband who pinned down why we felt that way. Speaking of the characters, he said, "They went from A to A."

Even he picked up on it, and he doesn't read romance. Quite simply, the characters didn't grow. They were in a mess at the start, they had some fun along the way, then reverted to the same mess at the end. The same arguments going round in circles.

I crave character growth. I crave a story that gives me a whole alphabet of character-exploration. Sod A to B. I want A to Z with a two-night safari in I and a overnighter in U.

I might have put this down to my being a hopeful romantic, a confirmed fan of romance fiction. But, since Husband wouldn't touch romance with a bargepole, and even he talked of the lack of change in the characters, I'll excuse myself on that count this time.

Give me change! Give me growth, learning, development, a character who blossoms, a character who crawls their way, inch by painstaking inch, back to humanity.

Give me a journey