Stranger to the Truth
by
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It was just before 1 a.m. when she went inside. She dropped
the Vera Bradley duffel she’d taken with her that night in the
foyer, thought about unpacking it, but banished the notion. It
made no sense to bother with that now. Later was good enough. . .
The rest of the Saturday night loomed before her. It was
too early to be trapped in this fucking house. Thankfully she
hadn’t heard a noise from her mom’s room. The very, very last
thing she felt like now was seeing her mom, listening to her
same complaints and charges. She absolutely knew she suddenly
couldn’t become the girl who went home at midnight as her mom
demanded. She’d never done that and wasn’t about to start. She
made a quick call to Clark Schifani from the cordless phone in
her bedroom but immediately hung up. Her mom might hear her
and wake up. And no one ever answered land line calls anyway.
Maybe he’d think it was her mom checking up on her? . . .
Her mom. God, who was this woman? Noura felt like she
was an alien. Acting like her sisters. Noura felt again the sting
and humiliation of Memorial Day weekend. Having to sit
silently while her mom unloaded about her to her aunt Cindy.
Enumerating all Noura’s faults and failings. There was no point
in sticking up for herself. They would never have listened.
Jennifer was trying to be the perfect mom now, controlling
Noura’s every move. She was ruining her life! Interesting, Noura
thought, that she’d be like that now. Now, when Noura should
have her own money and independence. It was all backward
and she wasn’t going to put up with it. Here came those horrible
black thoughts. That anger she couldn’t suppress. . . .
The quiet of the next few moments were as loud in her ears as
a shrill ringing. Nothing. The silent house swallowed her. This is
the way it will be from now on. Home at midnight, the rest of her
friends out having fun without her, dumped by Perry, fighting
nonstop with her mom about every little thing. She felt her blood
boil. This had to stop. She wasn’t living like that. And just that
fast she realized she didn’t have to. The cloying thoughts that had
been haunting her for months now screamed for action. Enough!
There was only one person making her miserable, and she had
to get rid of her.
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About the Book
How does a privileged, eighteen year old end up in prison, convicted of one of the rarest of crimes--matricide? The literary nonfiction Stranger to the Truth explores the fatal intersection in the lives of Noura Jackson, her circle of dissolute Memphis friends, and the death of Noura’s mother, Jennifer, on the eve of a popular outdoor festival. The brutal attack seemed to reflect personal and exponential rage. Tragedy stalked Noura. Her father was fatally shot when she was seventeen. A mystery never solved. A year later an auto accident claimed her best friend. Both mother and daughter were reeling from shock, grief, and confusion. The tension between them escalated until Noura’s difficult teenage years yielded to something much darker. More than a whodunit, this fact-based account tells a spellbinding tale of impetuous youth and a single parent who too late assumes the role of disciplinarian, saying no to the demands of her daughter who will not listen. Weaving multiple points of view, back stories, and extensive research, Stranger to the Truth corrals a timely, complex story in an absorbing narrative. Praise for Stranger to the Truth “In Stranger to the Truth, Ms. Hickman has taken a local tragedy and, with eloquence and empathy, given it universal application. The reader will find not only a gripping story, but also a moving exploration of the shadows that dwell within us all.” --Howard Bahr, author of The Black Flower, The Year of Jubilo, and The Judas Field
About the Author
Lisa C. Hickman holds her Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Mississippi and is the author of William Faulkner and Joan Williams: The Romance of Two Writers. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee.