Andrew Solomon, the author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, has done what I think is the first interview with the father of Adam Lanza since the December, 2012 day when Adam killed his mother, 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and himself. The interview appears online at The New Yorker.
Solomon elicits some riveting admissions and observations from Peter Lanza, who ultimately tells Solomon he wishes Adam had never been born. "That didn’t come right away. That’s not a natural thing, when you’re thinking about your kid. But, God, there’s no question," he said.
Peter showed Solomon a picture of himself with Adam and his brother, Ryan, who was initially suspected to be the killer. "One thing that struck me about that picture is that it's clear that he's loved," Peter said.
Peter now dreams about Adam every night, "dreams of pervasive sadness." His old friends have been supportive, he said, but he worries that he might never make new friends. "This defines who I am and I can't stand that, but you have to accept it," he said.
-Paul Raeburn
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