Reporter: It has been three years since the world was exposed to The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin. And readers want to know what the characters of the book thought about the novel. Today we have some key people from her life to talk about the impact.

 

Reporter: So Lucy, you were best friends with Addison Stone since Kindergarten. How was reading the book and getting everyone’s point of view from that time in her life.

Lucy Lim: I still feel like I should have seen the signs that she was off her Z (medication), especially realizing how sporadic she was towards the end. But like the book states, she was really good at hiding her struggles. I wish all the time I would have seen the signs more, and picked up the phone and pushed the issues.

Reporter: What about the chandelier video?

Lucy Lim: That video still gets thousands of views, and when the book was released it resurfaced and was trending again which just adds to the legacy she left behind.  

 

Reporter: So Maddison a lot of people described Addison in a lot of different ways but most common was that she was “enchanting and otherworldly” but also “daring, a trill seeker, and a thief” what do you take of this?

Maddy Meyers: Well when reading the novel you find out that Addison’s real name is Allison but even I have to admit that Addison fit her better. She first stole that dress from my house, out of jealously I think for what my parents had and hers didn’t. What was interesting to me though was how she also didn’t have a lot of possessions just her art stuff. Until reading I didn’t know about the stealing she could afford it why was she stealing clothes from the stores? Finding out that she was sending money to her parents caused a little bit of a divide between the family. That was too much pressure to put on her in her mental state.

 

Reporter: That last day that you saw Addison in her apartment and she talked to you about Ida, what do you make of Ida and the impact she had on Addison.

Zach Fratepietro: That whole situation still leaves me on edge. Reading about how Ida was a real person and how she was able to have such a big influence over Addison still freaks me out. And seeing that drawing of Ida, the one Addison drew and then photograph that was found of her still gives me chills to this day. They were in the same position and everything, I still don’t know what to make of it. And that harness, what she said about that “I wear that harness to be friendly… so other people think I care” still keeps me up at night. I want to think it was an accident but we all know what happened the last time she was listening to Ida.

 

Reporter: You were a hard person to track down for the book, and for this interview I might add, what was your take on the book.

Lincoln Reed: There was an ongoing investigation about me and honestly I didn’t push her but I still feel guilt for what happened. I feel like it was my fault she was up there by herself. If I wouldn’t have let my emotions get the best of me at that party over seeing Bloody Sophie, well you read the book you know how she lied that she was even doing the piece. The fact that my ex-girlfriend was hanging in Addison’s ex boyfriends house it was just too much, so I left. And then she left, and well you know how it ends.

 

Reporter: “Looking back, what would you have done differently?”

Lucy Lim: She never wanted to be alone, maybe if I would have moved to New York to be with her something could have been different. I think from reading the book that’s what everyone said. Everyone had a part in the book where they think they could have changed the outcome. But I don’t think anyone could have. “She didn’t have that human dose of fear” and I think eventually her art would have landed her in the same outcome. Only maybe that time it would have been filmed.

 

Reporter: This story was told in such a way that you felt like you knew her but also that you didn’t know her at all. The telling of this story was done beautifully and the writing style was as effective as any. Readers can identify with this book on many levels. You can relate to Lucy because she was a friend that watched her friend struggle but helped her any chance she got. You saw family struggling to help someone in need. Most importantly the book follows a girl with a mental illness and the importance of getting help. Below is some artwork done by Addison Stone: