Piece Comment

Review of Really, I'm Trying.


As a guy with two younger sisters, I understand the difficulty of building the relationship, even if not to the degree of the narrator. "Really, I'm Trying." is a brilliant portrayal of a distanced brother-sister relationship and the struggles undergone by the sister to rebuild it. The piece starts off with a great, eloquent description of the relationship, and the story arc had me gripped by about two-thirds through. There was never too much or too little information, it was just right. The narration was fine, although at times I noticed that there were some awkward pauses or breaths, which could lead to awesome flow once remedied. The music segments and vivid scene descriptions--diners, rest stops, the bedroom--gave the piece a reinforced tone, one that is very contemplative and sympathetic to the fact that everyone has something they want hidden. Overall, the piece left me with an impression of how some sibling relationships must be truly reconstructed from scratch after long periods of time, making me thankful for the strong relationships I have and making me aware of what my peers could be experiencing.