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Yours for Eternity: A Love Story on Death Row
From one of the greatest legal injustices of our time sprang one of the most unlikely—and unforgettable—love stories. Damien Echols was just eighteen years old when he was condemned to death for a crime he didn’t commit. His case—that of the infamous “West Memphis Three”—gained notoriety after a documentary, Paradise Lost , exposed the biased nature of the trial and Echols as the precocious, charming—and tragic—figure at its center. Lorri Davis was a landscape architect living in New York City when she surreptitiously wandered into a showing of the film, and she left forever changed. She, too, was from the South, accustomed to being the outsider in a small town. She saw much of herself in Echols, understood how he could easily have been swept up in a witch hunt, and she couldn’t get him out of her head. So she wrote him a letter—and when it arrived in Echols’s penitentiary cell in April 1996, hers were some of the first kind words of support he heard.
Over the course of a remarkable sixteen-year correspondence, Echols and Davis grew to know each other, fall in love, and marry—all without ever being able to touch each other freely or be alone together. In Yours for Eternity , their extraordinary letters provide a singular portrait of their marriage, from the first, heady days of discovery to the final, painful months before Echols’s release. Through postscripts and footnotes, Echols and Davis describe how they overcame the enormous challenges and heartbreaks throughout the years—personal setbacks, legal complications, and much more. Yours for Eternity reveals a relationship unfolding in the most exceptional of circumstances. Powerful and incredibly intimate, it is a modern-day love story for the ages.
Over the course of a remarkable sixteen-year correspondence, Echols and Davis grew to know each other, fall in love, and marry—all without ever being able to touch each other freely or be alone together. In Yours for Eternity , their extraordinary letters provide a singular portrait of their marriage, from the first, heady days of discovery to the final, painful months before Echols’s release. Through postscripts and footnotes, Echols and Davis describe how they overcame the enormous challenges and heartbreaks throughout the years—personal setbacks, legal complications, and much more. Yours for Eternity reveals a relationship unfolding in the most exceptional of circumstances. Powerful and incredibly intimate, it is a modern-day love story for the ages.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published June 17, 2014
7 people are currently reading
756 people want to read
About the author
Damien Echols
14books557followersDamien Wayne Echols, along with Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, is one of the three men, known as the West Memphis Three, who were convicted in the killing of three eight-year-old boys Steve Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore at Robin Hood Hills, West Memphis, Arkansas, on May 5, 1993.
Damien Echols was convicted of murder by a jury and sentenced to death by lethal injection. He was on death row under 23 hours per day lockdown at the Varner Supermax. On August 19, 2011, Echols, along with the two others collectively known at the West Memphis Three, were released from prison after their attorneys and the judge handling the upcoming retrial agreed to a deal. Under the terms of the Alford guilty plea, Echols and his co-defendents pleaded guilty to three counts of first degree murder while maintaining their innocence. DNA evidence failed to connect Echols or his co-defendents to the crime.
Damien Echols was convicted of murder by a jury and sentenced to death by lethal injection. He was on death row under 23 hours per day lockdown at the Varner Supermax. On August 19, 2011, Echols, along with the two others collectively known at the West Memphis Three, were released from prison after their attorneys and the judge handling the upcoming retrial agreed to a deal. Under the terms of the Alford guilty plea, Echols and his co-defendents pleaded guilty to three counts of first degree murder while maintaining their innocence. DNA evidence failed to connect Echols or his co-defendents to the crime.
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July 19, 2014
So. This book. What to say, what to say.
First, let me preface this review with my interest in all things true crime. In particular, I've had a vested interest in this case (being, of course, the infamous West Memphis Three) for some time. Yes, I've read The Devil's Knot and, yes, I've seen HBO's riveting trilogy Paradise Lost. I've kind of wavered on my thoughts surrounding the WM3's guilt, but I've definitely come up on the side of their innocence. (Regardless of what you believe, any one with any logical prowess can agree that the trial these teens received was a joke - and their resulting ridiculously long incarceration was a travesty). I know that Echols has penned some books from death row, and they've been on my ever-expanding "to-read" shelf for quite some time; so, when I saw his latest title available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. Thanks, yet again, NetGalley. You're the bee's knees.
This book is composed of the hundreds (if not, thousands) of letters that Echols, the supposed Satanic ringleader of the WM3, exchanged with Lorri Davis, a landscape architect that took particular interest in his case. Minor spoiler alert: the two conducted a prolonged courtship via mail and telephone, and they wed in a Buddhist ceremony while Echnols was still behind bars. To this day, now that Echols has been released, the pair are still married. This book is a scrapbook of their communication with one another, a record of their blossoming relationship and a look into the struggles that they faced as a couple fighting against appeals and the ever-impending threat of death row.
At the beginning, I was extremely interested in their communication with one another. I wanted to know exactly how a professionally successful, educated, reasonably beautiful woman could become romantically interested in a death-row inmate. I mean, regardless of his guilt or innocence, Echols was convicted of a horrendous crime - and that, alone, would ever prevent me, a professionally successful, educated, reasonably beautiful woman, from contacting a criminal behind bars in hopes of striking up something romantic. It's just CRAY CRAY. And really, despite their literary prowess (the letters, themselves, aren't poorly written or ill-conceived), that's how this whole situation struck me - as bat-shit crazy.
If the book had more information regarding the WM3 case work or Echols' prison life, I might have been satisfied. As it was, the letters between the two became repetitious, melodramatic, mushy, and, occasionally, icky-sexual. If I had to read how "magkical" their relationship was one more time, I thought I would puke. Their crazy courtship wasn't enough to hold my interest. As it was, Lorri seemed to stroke Echols narcissistic, arrogant personality way too much for my comfort. I'm curious as to how the two have transitioned to life together - actually spending time with one another, being able to touch each other, talk for longer than 15 minutes at a time.
I have quotes highlighted in my e-reader that illustrates just how icky these two can get - but I'm about to eat, and I'd like to keep my appetite. Maybe I'll revise this review later to incorporate them - if I can keep my dinner down.
Will I take Echols' other books off my "to-read" list? No, but I want more prison struggle, less pretend sexy-time, let's make Wicca capes for one another, you are so much-smarter/handsomer/spiritual than anyone I ever met nonsense. More of what makes him relevant and interesting than just some poor, crazy, delusional schmucks sending an obsessive amount of letters to one another. This? This just wasn't for me.
First, let me preface this review with my interest in all things true crime. In particular, I've had a vested interest in this case (being, of course, the infamous West Memphis Three) for some time. Yes, I've read The Devil's Knot and, yes, I've seen HBO's riveting trilogy Paradise Lost. I've kind of wavered on my thoughts surrounding the WM3's guilt, but I've definitely come up on the side of their innocence. (Regardless of what you believe, any one with any logical prowess can agree that the trial these teens received was a joke - and their resulting ridiculously long incarceration was a travesty). I know that Echols has penned some books from death row, and they've been on my ever-expanding "to-read" shelf for quite some time; so, when I saw his latest title available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. Thanks, yet again, NetGalley. You're the bee's knees.
This book is composed of the hundreds (if not, thousands) of letters that Echols, the supposed Satanic ringleader of the WM3, exchanged with Lorri Davis, a landscape architect that took particular interest in his case. Minor spoiler alert: the two conducted a prolonged courtship via mail and telephone, and they wed in a Buddhist ceremony while Echnols was still behind bars. To this day, now that Echols has been released, the pair are still married. This book is a scrapbook of their communication with one another, a record of their blossoming relationship and a look into the struggles that they faced as a couple fighting against appeals and the ever-impending threat of death row.
At the beginning, I was extremely interested in their communication with one another. I wanted to know exactly how a professionally successful, educated, reasonably beautiful woman could become romantically interested in a death-row inmate. I mean, regardless of his guilt or innocence, Echols was convicted of a horrendous crime - and that, alone, would ever prevent me, a professionally successful, educated, reasonably beautiful woman, from contacting a criminal behind bars in hopes of striking up something romantic. It's just CRAY CRAY. And really, despite their literary prowess (the letters, themselves, aren't poorly written or ill-conceived), that's how this whole situation struck me - as bat-shit crazy.
If the book had more information regarding the WM3 case work or Echols' prison life, I might have been satisfied. As it was, the letters between the two became repetitious, melodramatic, mushy, and, occasionally, icky-sexual. If I had to read how "magkical" their relationship was one more time, I thought I would puke. Their crazy courtship wasn't enough to hold my interest. As it was, Lorri seemed to stroke Echols narcissistic, arrogant personality way too much for my comfort. I'm curious as to how the two have transitioned to life together - actually spending time with one another, being able to touch each other, talk for longer than 15 minutes at a time.
I have quotes highlighted in my e-reader that illustrates just how icky these two can get - but I'm about to eat, and I'd like to keep my appetite. Maybe I'll revise this review later to incorporate them - if I can keep my dinner down.
Will I take Echols' other books off my "to-read" list? No, but I want more prison struggle, less pretend sexy-time, let's make Wicca capes for one another, you are so much-smarter/handsomer/spiritual than anyone I ever met nonsense. More of what makes him relevant and interesting than just some poor, crazy, delusional schmucks sending an obsessive amount of letters to one another. This? This just wasn't for me.
June 14, 2014
Three and a Half Stars.
---
Yours for Eternity is a book written primarily through letters between Lorri Davis and Damien Echols. Echols is one of the men charged as the West Memphis Three, accused of killing three eight year old boys in the early nineties, even though there was no DNA evidence that linked him to the crime. He was on death row until as recently as 2011.
Now, this review might seem like it goes outside of the ordinary, in regards to what I usually review. However, you'd probably be surprised to learn that I have an extreme interest in things that are crime and prison related. Add in a romance component and make it nonfiction? Perfect.
I had heard of the West Memphis Three when I requested this book, but my background knowledge didn't really go far beyond "these three guys killed some kids." It was a crime that had enough attention to be topical, but it happened "before my time" so to speak, so I didn't really know details. I'm disappointed that this book didn't really help me gain any information about it. I feel like this book was expecting me to have been researched on the subject, when I am not. A background preface or a synopsis, nutshell version of the crime would have been nice, at the least. There's also a lot of reference to the documentary made about this case, Paradise Lost. While it did spark an interest in me (I will definitely watch this film), I hadn't seen that either.
With that little rant out of the way, I will say that this was an extremely interesting perspective and story that not many people can tell and still have it be based on real life. Lorri wrote letters to Echols for years, and was with him through it all. It's both beautiful and insane to me that one can maintain feelings and a relationship, whether it be friendly or more, with someone on death row, especially in such a talked about case. It was cool, for lack of a better word, to watch it all play out.
I hate to say this about real letters, but at times I felt it dragged on a bit too long. I really did enjoy reading these letters, but sometimes I felt myself just wishing for more. This book held my attention enough for me to finish the book and take away some things, and learn some things slowly but surely, but it's not a fast paced book.
Overall, this was a solid read that takes a fascinating real life circumstance and gives the reader a rare insight into life behind bars and those in their lives who continually correspond with them. If you are interested in things like crime and jails, or are familiar with the West Memphis Three case. It's worth reading.
Thanks to Netgalley and Blue Rider Press for my copy in exchange for my honest review. This review can also be found on my new blog, .
---
Yours for Eternity is a book written primarily through letters between Lorri Davis and Damien Echols. Echols is one of the men charged as the West Memphis Three, accused of killing three eight year old boys in the early nineties, even though there was no DNA evidence that linked him to the crime. He was on death row until as recently as 2011.
Now, this review might seem like it goes outside of the ordinary, in regards to what I usually review. However, you'd probably be surprised to learn that I have an extreme interest in things that are crime and prison related. Add in a romance component and make it nonfiction? Perfect.
I had heard of the West Memphis Three when I requested this book, but my background knowledge didn't really go far beyond "these three guys killed some kids." It was a crime that had enough attention to be topical, but it happened "before my time" so to speak, so I didn't really know details. I'm disappointed that this book didn't really help me gain any information about it. I feel like this book was expecting me to have been researched on the subject, when I am not. A background preface or a synopsis, nutshell version of the crime would have been nice, at the least. There's also a lot of reference to the documentary made about this case, Paradise Lost. While it did spark an interest in me (I will definitely watch this film), I hadn't seen that either.
With that little rant out of the way, I will say that this was an extremely interesting perspective and story that not many people can tell and still have it be based on real life. Lorri wrote letters to Echols for years, and was with him through it all. It's both beautiful and insane to me that one can maintain feelings and a relationship, whether it be friendly or more, with someone on death row, especially in such a talked about case. It was cool, for lack of a better word, to watch it all play out.
I hate to say this about real letters, but at times I felt it dragged on a bit too long. I really did enjoy reading these letters, but sometimes I felt myself just wishing for more. This book held my attention enough for me to finish the book and take away some things, and learn some things slowly but surely, but it's not a fast paced book.
Overall, this was a solid read that takes a fascinating real life circumstance and gives the reader a rare insight into life behind bars and those in their lives who continually correspond with them. If you are interested in things like crime and jails, or are familiar with the West Memphis Three case. It's worth reading.
Thanks to Netgalley and Blue Rider Press for my copy in exchange for my honest review. This review can also be found on my new blog, .
April 2, 2014
ARC for review.
I saw Paradise Lost just after it came out and was appalled and fascinated by the case. I continued to follow the West Memphis 3 through websites, additional documentaries, two books (including the excellent - if you are interested in the story or like great true crime definitely read it) and lots of articles, so I was definitely interested in this book. I say all this only to say that I knew a fair amount about Echols and even a bit about wife Lorri Davis before I started and I'm guessing the publishers were hoping for readers like me because the book has almost no background on the couple or the crime, which was a misjudgment, I think - the editors should have spent a few pages giving a brief recap of the crime, the trial, the twenty year fight to get the WM3 released and the ultimate result. A bit of this is included chronologically, but it's not enough. What we get is a jump right into the letters between Echols and Davis, and not even the first ones (perhaps they were lost), so we don't get much insight into Davis's life before reaching out to Echols (although apparently she grew up in a town not far from me).
So we have a collection of letters and a very few explanatory paragraphs (and those could have used some editing. I also wish that the publisher used different typefaces for the two authors, or made it more clear who was writing each letter, since sometimes there's no salutation and occasionally there will be multiple letters from the same writer one after another.). Nearly half the book is made up of letters from the first year the two corresponded (1996) so, like most of us, once they were able to speak on the phone their correspondence dropped off. It's still quite interesting, more from the standpoint of watching two people fall in love through letters (another reason it's a shame there's not more background because the book would likely be popular among people trying to determine how to navigate a relationship with someone who is incarcerated...though he speaks very little about day to day prison life.)
As a follower of Echols and his story I enjoyed this, but I wish it had slightly wider appeal.
I saw Paradise Lost just after it came out and was appalled and fascinated by the case. I continued to follow the West Memphis 3 through websites, additional documentaries, two books (including the excellent - if you are interested in the story or like great true crime definitely read it) and lots of articles, so I was definitely interested in this book. I say all this only to say that I knew a fair amount about Echols and even a bit about wife Lorri Davis before I started and I'm guessing the publishers were hoping for readers like me because the book has almost no background on the couple or the crime, which was a misjudgment, I think - the editors should have spent a few pages giving a brief recap of the crime, the trial, the twenty year fight to get the WM3 released and the ultimate result. A bit of this is included chronologically, but it's not enough. What we get is a jump right into the letters between Echols and Davis, and not even the first ones (perhaps they were lost), so we don't get much insight into Davis's life before reaching out to Echols (although apparently she grew up in a town not far from me).
So we have a collection of letters and a very few explanatory paragraphs (and those could have used some editing. I also wish that the publisher used different typefaces for the two authors, or made it more clear who was writing each letter, since sometimes there's no salutation and occasionally there will be multiple letters from the same writer one after another.). Nearly half the book is made up of letters from the first year the two corresponded (1996) so, like most of us, once they were able to speak on the phone their correspondence dropped off. It's still quite interesting, more from the standpoint of watching two people fall in love through letters (another reason it's a shame there's not more background because the book would likely be popular among people trying to determine how to navigate a relationship with someone who is incarcerated...though he speaks very little about day to day prison life.)
As a follower of Echols and his story I enjoyed this, but I wish it had slightly wider appeal.
April 15, 2014
I remain really interested and invested in their story, but as a book this just didn't work for me. A more selectively curated collection of letters, maybe published in a journal or as a shorter manuscript, would have been more powerful.
June 28, 2014
As obsessed as I've been all these years over all things West Memphis 3, I think this book is crap. I couldn't even finish it. I think the love story of Damien and Lorri is very sweet and enduring, but reading these letters got old fast. Just got bored with it.
January 22, 2020
TMI in some cases. Interesting.
September 28, 2014
(originally reviewed on
)
I first heard about the West Memphis 3 in 2009. Fresh off a new Netflix subscription, I took the recommendations of the website to heart and threw PARADISE LOST: THE CHILD MURDERS OF ROBIN HOOD HILLS into my DVD queue. I didn’t really know what it was about, but felt in the mood for a documentary. What I found was an amazing and infuriating film about three boys who were murdered, and three teenagers who were railroaded and convicted of the murders with little to no evidence outside of the coerced confession of a mentally challenged and scared kid, and a love of dark clothing and heavy metal. The teenagers convicted were known as the West Memphis 3, and Damien Echols, the supposed ring leader, was sentenced to death. This was in 1994. The very idea of this absolutely horrified me, and I started following the case as best I could. In 2010, new DNA evidence was procured that made it fairly clear that these three men were not guilty, and instead of trying their luck at a new trial the prosecutors offered the three men a deal: admit that we have enough evidence to convict you while asserting your own innocence, and then your remaining sentences will be changed to time served. In 2011, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were free to go. I have had Echols� memoir LIFE AFTER DEATH on my list for quite awhile, and I read his self published (while still in prison) memoir ALMOST HOME. I don’t quite feel emotionally ready to read LIFE AFTER DEATH just yet, but seeing YOURS FOR ETERNITY on the shelf at work made me think that this would be a good baby step, especially since it is predominantly the story of him and his wife Lorri Davis.
While Damien was in prison, he met a woman named Lorri Davis, a landscape architect who had been touched by the documentary, and after corresponding they fell in love and got married. YOURS FOR ETERNITY is a collection of the letters they sent each other while he was on death row. Certainly not all of them, as they were in the thousands. But a collection. The topics are wide, from getting to know each other, learning about each other’s childhoods and backgrounds, to their most deep seated beliefs and hopes an dreams. You can see them falling in love with each other on the page, and read the heartache and frustration as Echols is denied appeals over and over again. As more and more time passes, their devotion to each other just grows and grows, and her unwavering support of him keeps him going, and keeps her devoted to helping exonerate him.
I mean it when I say these are deeply personal letters. I almost felt like a voyeur when reading them, even though they fully consented and put this book together. I have a hard time deciding what I thought of this book. It’s compulsively readable, which was good. I could just sit down and read the correspondence between them for chunks at a time, but was also able to set it aside when I needed to. I found myself being judgmental of their love affair because it it’s intensity and how obsessive it seemed, but I kept reminding myself that this was NOT a typical romance, and that they had a lot of roadblocks and hardships in front of them. Because of that, the obsessive nature of the two of them towards each other probably kept both of them going. Certainly Echols, who had to live his life in a small cell day in, day out. And besides, I think that all relationships go through that super obsessive phase, and while that super obsessive phase is usually kept private these letters were one of the only interactions they had for a very long time. So that gets a pass from me. It may be easy to dismiss this as a cash-grab on their parts, as that was what first came to mind when I saw it on the shelf, but even if it is, I say that after everything he went through and after everything they went through as a couple I don’t even care. All support and money thrown his way is fine by me. I think that this is more fluff than anything else, but seeing their love for each other on the page and seeing how it kept him going was very sweet and undeniably real. The occasional post script sections was a great way to add context to the letters, explaining what was going on at the time and how the case was progressing and all of that. Echols really does have a gift as a writer, and that was evident in both his commentary and his letters. My favorite letter was short and simple, and from him to her. All it said was ‘Loving you saved my life.� I do not doubt that, and yes, that was the one that made me cry.
I will probably pick up LIFE AFTER DEATH in the near future, but this one was a good reminder of what love can do and how it can motivate us. I hope that Damien and Lorri remain this happy in the years to come, and wish them all the luck.
I first heard about the West Memphis 3 in 2009. Fresh off a new Netflix subscription, I took the recommendations of the website to heart and threw PARADISE LOST: THE CHILD MURDERS OF ROBIN HOOD HILLS into my DVD queue. I didn’t really know what it was about, but felt in the mood for a documentary. What I found was an amazing and infuriating film about three boys who were murdered, and three teenagers who were railroaded and convicted of the murders with little to no evidence outside of the coerced confession of a mentally challenged and scared kid, and a love of dark clothing and heavy metal. The teenagers convicted were known as the West Memphis 3, and Damien Echols, the supposed ring leader, was sentenced to death. This was in 1994. The very idea of this absolutely horrified me, and I started following the case as best I could. In 2010, new DNA evidence was procured that made it fairly clear that these three men were not guilty, and instead of trying their luck at a new trial the prosecutors offered the three men a deal: admit that we have enough evidence to convict you while asserting your own innocence, and then your remaining sentences will be changed to time served. In 2011, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were free to go. I have had Echols� memoir LIFE AFTER DEATH on my list for quite awhile, and I read his self published (while still in prison) memoir ALMOST HOME. I don’t quite feel emotionally ready to read LIFE AFTER DEATH just yet, but seeing YOURS FOR ETERNITY on the shelf at work made me think that this would be a good baby step, especially since it is predominantly the story of him and his wife Lorri Davis.
While Damien was in prison, he met a woman named Lorri Davis, a landscape architect who had been touched by the documentary, and after corresponding they fell in love and got married. YOURS FOR ETERNITY is a collection of the letters they sent each other while he was on death row. Certainly not all of them, as they were in the thousands. But a collection. The topics are wide, from getting to know each other, learning about each other’s childhoods and backgrounds, to their most deep seated beliefs and hopes an dreams. You can see them falling in love with each other on the page, and read the heartache and frustration as Echols is denied appeals over and over again. As more and more time passes, their devotion to each other just grows and grows, and her unwavering support of him keeps him going, and keeps her devoted to helping exonerate him.
I mean it when I say these are deeply personal letters. I almost felt like a voyeur when reading them, even though they fully consented and put this book together. I have a hard time deciding what I thought of this book. It’s compulsively readable, which was good. I could just sit down and read the correspondence between them for chunks at a time, but was also able to set it aside when I needed to. I found myself being judgmental of their love affair because it it’s intensity and how obsessive it seemed, but I kept reminding myself that this was NOT a typical romance, and that they had a lot of roadblocks and hardships in front of them. Because of that, the obsessive nature of the two of them towards each other probably kept both of them going. Certainly Echols, who had to live his life in a small cell day in, day out. And besides, I think that all relationships go through that super obsessive phase, and while that super obsessive phase is usually kept private these letters were one of the only interactions they had for a very long time. So that gets a pass from me. It may be easy to dismiss this as a cash-grab on their parts, as that was what first came to mind when I saw it on the shelf, but even if it is, I say that after everything he went through and after everything they went through as a couple I don’t even care. All support and money thrown his way is fine by me. I think that this is more fluff than anything else, but seeing their love for each other on the page and seeing how it kept him going was very sweet and undeniably real. The occasional post script sections was a great way to add context to the letters, explaining what was going on at the time and how the case was progressing and all of that. Echols really does have a gift as a writer, and that was evident in both his commentary and his letters. My favorite letter was short and simple, and from him to her. All it said was ‘Loving you saved my life.� I do not doubt that, and yes, that was the one that made me cry.
I will probably pick up LIFE AFTER DEATH in the near future, but this one was a good reminder of what love can do and how it can motivate us. I hope that Damien and Lorri remain this happy in the years to come, and wish them all the luck.
April 28, 2014
ARC for review from Net Galley.
So, I was super excited to read this book because since I first heard about this case I've been obsessed with anything I can get my hands on to learn more about it. Damien has always been the one character of this tragic drama that stands out the most. He seems so normal and accessible, yet so dark and mysterious. I can see why the simple people of his town would be frightened of him and why a woman would be attracted to him the way that Lorri was and still is.
This book is a collection of many of the letters written between Damien and Lorri throughout the years of his incarceration. In my opinion, these two have guts for releasing their intimate conversations for the world to see. The reader really gets to follow the progression of the relationship and all the emotions involved in this very nontraditional love story.
Lorri and Damien also provide postscript commentary throughout the book; however, I would have liked more of it. Further elaboration on the letters from the authors provided me with more insight, and since there was so little of it, I was left with more questions than answers.
This book is definitely worth a read, especially if you are interested in the case.
So, I was super excited to read this book because since I first heard about this case I've been obsessed with anything I can get my hands on to learn more about it. Damien has always been the one character of this tragic drama that stands out the most. He seems so normal and accessible, yet so dark and mysterious. I can see why the simple people of his town would be frightened of him and why a woman would be attracted to him the way that Lorri was and still is.
This book is a collection of many of the letters written between Damien and Lorri throughout the years of his incarceration. In my opinion, these two have guts for releasing their intimate conversations for the world to see. The reader really gets to follow the progression of the relationship and all the emotions involved in this very nontraditional love story.
Lorri and Damien also provide postscript commentary throughout the book; however, I would have liked more of it. Further elaboration on the letters from the authors provided me with more insight, and since there was so little of it, I was left with more questions than answers.
This book is definitely worth a read, especially if you are interested in the case.
July 29, 2014
She may have saved Damien and he loves her dearly but Lorri is too predatory for my tastes. I truly do hope they are in love for eternity but in reading her letters, my opinion is that she took advantage of a vulnerable boy and manipulated him emotionally. She became his only lifeline. There is quite a difference in the experience between a 31 year old career woman and an incarcerated nineteen year old with limited education or world view. Damien is an extraordinary human being and my hope is that Lorri proves to be his spiritual equal.
January 28, 2020
This is one of the most beautiful and raw books I have ever read. I am so grateful to have been able to live in these two incredible human’s minds for the past week. The minute I picked this book up I was OBSESSED and could not put it down. Such an tragic case and such a beautiful and vulnerable love story. I feel so whole. <3
August 30, 2019
Rereading for the 5th time. (Note: Revealing in a way that I did not see previously. Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Human desire is the strongest emotion. It is everything. It will lead us to darkness, and it can lead us to light. I recommend this book for many reasons, just think how Damien Echols survived his neurosis and incarceration. Unbelievable. How many stories are just like this all over the world. Shivers. Love is grand. Love is so freaking grand. Find love and you win. All other problems are just that, every day challenges. With a little research and writing I also found out that some love stories like this, like mine, are REAL and LASTING.)
First, I feel strongly that to enjoy this book at all and to understand it, you have to like reading letters. I collect letters, write extensive letters to my sister and close friends, and I actually (hate that word but going to use it here) have a 35 year collection of letters, lots of letters from my older sister and two very good friends. Some years, we played letter games. Letters to me, are like little mirrors that reflect the strangest sort of details about people. They are usually written in the moment, often as a response to outside events or even a response to questions in a previous letter. Seldom are letters contrived and they are less claustrophobic and self indulgent as journals, though I adore journals too.
These letters have a particular element in that they are written between two people who began as friends, one a young woman, highly independent and obsessive and the other a convicted murderer on death row. The two are Lorri Davis and Damien Echols who are known for their association with the infamous West Memphis 3 Murder Case where three little boys were murdered and three teenagers were convicted for their murders. But this book is not about that.
It's a love story. I want to disclose that right now, at this moment, I am studying the West Memphis 3 Murder Case, and that I am reviewing this book as an obligation to my work. In particular, I am reviewing this book based on what it is and it's purpose. I think in some ways, this is no more than a collection of letters, I am sure they were edited by people, between two people who fell in love during a strange set of circumstances. However, that said, reading these letters objectively, over and over, provides insights into characters, place, events, and even emotions. They are gems of information if one looks at them carefully. This is my fourth read and I've made extensive notes on all these letters, creating personality files on both authors.
Reading these letters, especially Damien's, as an extension of Exhibit 500 has been enlightening, revealing, and raised some serious questions about what Exhibit 500 really is. Even if this book is slanted to show only the "best" of a situation, which is does not at all, it would still be a good extension of an assessment of Exhibit 500 and character portrayals of Damien Echols. Syntax never lies, people. It's like a fingerprint.
I am reminded of a quote that I recently posted on Facebook by Joyce Carol Oates. I feel it's one of the most preceptive quotes on love that I have ever read and it's a very simple one.
“In love there are two things - bodies and words.�
� Joyce Carol Oates
This is so true. Lorri Davis and Damien Echols fell in love over words. They did not have "bodies" so they had the anticipation and longing of desire that fuels the fantasy and imagination on love. And we all know, that love in anticipation is the most potent, not only in real life but in fiction. There is definitely an erotic nature to some of these letters. How could there not be? Who would want to read love letters that weren't about love? It may appear to some people that a story like this is too strange, but I assure you as someone who has read letters between many 19th century people, even love letters, this is not strange at all. It's very human. There are endless love stories being carried out in the prison system. To say they are creepy or unnatural is ignorance and a lack of understanding of the human condition. I really like the love letters by Damien Echols more than I do his memoir. They are more revealing.
In August of 1996, three years plus a few months after his arrest for murder, Damien Echols wrote this.
My Dearest Lorri,
It's hard to explain what I meant tonight when I was talking about losing you. I've lost everything in my life that has ever meant anything to me. It's always been snatched away from me in one way or another. But I've always managed to recover. But you and this entire experience mean more to me, are more magickal, than anything I've ever know. And if I lost you, there is no way I could ever recover. It would be like someone cutting me in half, and trying to live through it. Sometimes I just get so afraid that you will be the crowning glory of all my losses. And it scares me more than anything ever has. I don't even like to think about it. I love you, Damien.
This is a very powerful letter, one small enough to grasp what is not said and what syntax is used. I typed it up and put it on my wall the first time I read it.
These are very personal letters, they are full of details, and they expose both authors to the public in a way that is risky. That alone gets five stars.
Damien Echols and Lorri Davis married in 1999, three years after they "met" through letters.
First, I feel strongly that to enjoy this book at all and to understand it, you have to like reading letters. I collect letters, write extensive letters to my sister and close friends, and I actually (hate that word but going to use it here) have a 35 year collection of letters, lots of letters from my older sister and two very good friends. Some years, we played letter games. Letters to me, are like little mirrors that reflect the strangest sort of details about people. They are usually written in the moment, often as a response to outside events or even a response to questions in a previous letter. Seldom are letters contrived and they are less claustrophobic and self indulgent as journals, though I adore journals too.
These letters have a particular element in that they are written between two people who began as friends, one a young woman, highly independent and obsessive and the other a convicted murderer on death row. The two are Lorri Davis and Damien Echols who are known for their association with the infamous West Memphis 3 Murder Case where three little boys were murdered and three teenagers were convicted for their murders. But this book is not about that.
It's a love story. I want to disclose that right now, at this moment, I am studying the West Memphis 3 Murder Case, and that I am reviewing this book as an obligation to my work. In particular, I am reviewing this book based on what it is and it's purpose. I think in some ways, this is no more than a collection of letters, I am sure they were edited by people, between two people who fell in love during a strange set of circumstances. However, that said, reading these letters objectively, over and over, provides insights into characters, place, events, and even emotions. They are gems of information if one looks at them carefully. This is my fourth read and I've made extensive notes on all these letters, creating personality files on both authors.
Reading these letters, especially Damien's, as an extension of Exhibit 500 has been enlightening, revealing, and raised some serious questions about what Exhibit 500 really is. Even if this book is slanted to show only the "best" of a situation, which is does not at all, it would still be a good extension of an assessment of Exhibit 500 and character portrayals of Damien Echols. Syntax never lies, people. It's like a fingerprint.
I am reminded of a quote that I recently posted on Facebook by Joyce Carol Oates. I feel it's one of the most preceptive quotes on love that I have ever read and it's a very simple one.
“In love there are two things - bodies and words.�
� Joyce Carol Oates
This is so true. Lorri Davis and Damien Echols fell in love over words. They did not have "bodies" so they had the anticipation and longing of desire that fuels the fantasy and imagination on love. And we all know, that love in anticipation is the most potent, not only in real life but in fiction. There is definitely an erotic nature to some of these letters. How could there not be? Who would want to read love letters that weren't about love? It may appear to some people that a story like this is too strange, but I assure you as someone who has read letters between many 19th century people, even love letters, this is not strange at all. It's very human. There are endless love stories being carried out in the prison system. To say they are creepy or unnatural is ignorance and a lack of understanding of the human condition. I really like the love letters by Damien Echols more than I do his memoir. They are more revealing.
In August of 1996, three years plus a few months after his arrest for murder, Damien Echols wrote this.
My Dearest Lorri,
It's hard to explain what I meant tonight when I was talking about losing you. I've lost everything in my life that has ever meant anything to me. It's always been snatched away from me in one way or another. But I've always managed to recover. But you and this entire experience mean more to me, are more magickal, than anything I've ever know. And if I lost you, there is no way I could ever recover. It would be like someone cutting me in half, and trying to live through it. Sometimes I just get so afraid that you will be the crowning glory of all my losses. And it scares me more than anything ever has. I don't even like to think about it. I love you, Damien.
This is a very powerful letter, one small enough to grasp what is not said and what syntax is used. I typed it up and put it on my wall the first time I read it.
These are very personal letters, they are full of details, and they expose both authors to the public in a way that is risky. That alone gets five stars.
Damien Echols and Lorri Davis married in 1999, three years after they "met" through letters.
September 9, 2021
The West Memphis Three is one of the most egregious cases of injustice I’ve ever seen. Not only for the wrongfully convicted but those three little boys deserve the truth of their deaths to be known.
Damien Echols spent 18 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. This book is a collection of letters between Damien and his wife Lorrie. I’m thankful he’s out now, though he can never get those years back.
Damien Echols spent 18 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. This book is a collection of letters between Damien and his wife Lorrie. I’m thankful he’s out now, though he can never get those years back.
May 21, 2024
Listened on audio - I wanted to read this after I finished “Life After Death� but this was not the same� I appreciated that it was vulnerable and real for Damien and Lorri to publish their intimate letters to one another - first while getting to know each other and then years into their marriage. However, I found that I was cringing for much of the book, especially in parts that were sexual. I’m no prude, and again realize these are intimate letters (+ perhaps it was made worse by being on audio), but I just felt like I didn’t need to be privy to much of it.
September 28, 2014
I was a grad student with a focus on deviant behavior in the late 90's in Memphis. Even before Paradise Lost came out, this West Memphis 3 case generated a lot of debate on the consequences of deviant behavior in society. I've followed the case on and off throughout the years until Echols release from prison in 2011 and have continued to use it as a debate topic in my own classes. This book focuses less on the case but on the prison romance between Echols and his wife Lorrie. The two met through letter writing begun in 1996, eventually married while Echols was still on death row, and are still married now that he's been out for a few years. It is essentially copies of some of their letters exchanged over the years with brief commentary by the authors. As an academic, it's fascinating. In no way would I define their relationship as healthy or even romantic. I found it primarily disturbing given the circumstances and telling in the way Lorrie seems so changed by the experience - less so than Damien, although even they indicate they have only published a minimal number of thousands of letter choices so that perception may be skewed. The cynical part of me assumes they need money and this seemed like a sensational way to get it. I think a big miscarriage of justice occurred in this investigation and trial, but now I would like to focus to shift away from those wrongly convicted to the investigation into who actually killed the 3 young boys.
November 12, 2014
I've had a minor obsession with this story (and the case) since watching the first documentary. I watched them all, then the new doc, followed by the last feature film (now streaming on netflix). I skipped the first books that Echols released, but will probably go back and read at least one of them.
I found the beginning of this book a nice glimpse into what was going on in the minds of Damien and Lorri and enjoyed it, but the further I progressed I just wanted to finish. I'm not sure what I was expecting from a book of letters, but as multiple letters crossed in the mail, or were left out of the book I realized bit by bit that a lot of the story was being left out. This annoyed me. If Lorri asked a specific question in her letter it bugged me that the response wasn't included in one of his replies. Then a letter would explain something from a phone conversation that the reader had no idea of the context. Obviously, as the phone calls become more prevalent the less interesting the letters become and by then you're over it.
The best thing about the book is it gives you some insight into the minds of two people that are making a choice to go through with something that few others would dare. I admire their dedication, it just doesn't make for a good read. I would be curious to see a film about "their" story. It would make a good indie film.
I found the beginning of this book a nice glimpse into what was going on in the minds of Damien and Lorri and enjoyed it, but the further I progressed I just wanted to finish. I'm not sure what I was expecting from a book of letters, but as multiple letters crossed in the mail, or were left out of the book I realized bit by bit that a lot of the story was being left out. This annoyed me. If Lorri asked a specific question in her letter it bugged me that the response wasn't included in one of his replies. Then a letter would explain something from a phone conversation that the reader had no idea of the context. Obviously, as the phone calls become more prevalent the less interesting the letters become and by then you're over it.
The best thing about the book is it gives you some insight into the minds of two people that are making a choice to go through with something that few others would dare. I admire their dedication, it just doesn't make for a good read. I would be curious to see a film about "their" story. It would make a good indie film.
January 3, 2015
I’m not going to go into the case of the West Memphis 3 and the injustice of their conviction and imprisonment. I imagine that no one will read this book if they are not already interested in the case, and in any event there is a wealth of information out there about it, including documentary films. It’s certainly a case that fascinates and horrifies me, but this book was a disappointment. Most of it consists of the love letters between Damien Echols and his great love and later wife Lorri Davis. And quite frankly I just didn’t want to read them and I find it hard to understand why Davis should want to put their private life on show in this way. The book does perhaps give some insight into how their relationship developed and just how important it was to both of them, but essentially I don’t need to read all these letters to find that out. It can be done in a simpler and more discreet way. Cashing in on the interest in this terrible miscarriage of justice? Maybe. Certainly made me feel an uncomfortable voyeur at times. So no, I didn’t enjoy it, and don’t think it adds a great deal to our understanding of Echols and his imprisonment. Some things should remain private.
July 6, 2014
I would like to preface that I have been a long-time supporter of the WM3. However, I just couldn't get into this book. I'm glad that Damien and Lorri found each other, truly. Lorri references how intense she was in the beginning of their communication - which is true. I spent the whole time thinking, "this lady is crazy". However, I believe that is what makes their relationship as strong as it is. A man living on death row needs a woman who is willing to give anything and everything for him - which Lorri was willing to do. This is something I don't think many women can.
The book was a very quick read (1 day for me), due to the fact that it is all letters. Some are only a few lines long, so I found yourself flipping pages fast. However, the gist of their love story was accomplished in a few select letters. I personally enjoyed the postscripts the best, and wish there would have been more inclusion on their lives post-release.
The book was a very quick read (1 day for me), due to the fact that it is all letters. Some are only a few lines long, so I found yourself flipping pages fast. However, the gist of their love story was accomplished in a few select letters. I personally enjoyed the postscripts the best, and wish there would have been more inclusion on their lives post-release.
July 2, 2014
I commend both Lorri and Damien for being gutsy enough to share such personal letters, thoughts, and memories in these letters they wrote during his 17-year sentence in Tucker prison. But man, what a neat way to see into this part of the story that you don't get to see in all the Paradise Lost documentaries and only a slight hint in West of Memphis and his first book, Life After Death. It was amazing to watch their relationship to develop and see just how much Lorri saved Damien while he was locked away. She definitely was the biggest reason why he was able to get through it. While some of the letters get slightly repetitive towards the middle of the book, things do take a turn when Damien has been in prison for almost 10 years.
February 19, 2015
Damien Echols is sentenced to death after he and his 2 friends were convicted of murdering 3 eight year old boys in Arkansas. Damien started writing back and forth to a person who believed strongly that he was innocent: Lorri Davis. Selected letters were compiled in a book after Echols served a prison sentence from 1993-2011. He and his friends were let go because of insufficient evidence.
I found reading documents about the trial, the victims, and of course Lorri and Damien to be far more interesting than the book. To me the book was disturbing. Lorri and Damien had to be suffering from mental illnesses; their writings were very cryptic.
I found reading documents about the trial, the victims, and of course Lorri and Damien to be far more interesting than the book. To me the book was disturbing. Lorri and Damien had to be suffering from mental illnesses; their writings were very cryptic.
April 2, 2014
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I kept up with this case from the beginning. Even at the start, I was convinced that Damien and his friends were innocent. I read and watched everything I could find. This was different, I enjoyed reading about how the relationship between Damien and Lori came to be. I'm happy to see Damien finally happy. This is a must read for anyone who kept up with his case or anyone who is curious about how Damien dealt with his wrongful imprisonment.
January 10, 2020
Im breathless after reading this!
What an amazing, personal account of years of perseverance and dedication to each other. Probably one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve heard and its true. I am so very happy Damien and Lorri made it through and are now free to be together completely.
What an amazing, personal account of years of perseverance and dedication to each other. Probably one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve heard and its true. I am so very happy Damien and Lorri made it through and are now free to be together completely.
March 11, 2019
Unlikeable people and I doubt his innocence after reading this book. Both are very strange, manipulative and toxic people. Nothing inspirational about it ... just slightly informative how obsessive and unhealthy certain relationships can be
May 2, 2014
DNF at page 160 or so. It was so painfully boring. I would like to read the book where he actually tells his story. This one was mostly just their letters.
September 12, 2017
GOOD LORD, that was terrible. Thank god it was a quick read. I think his prison sentence would've been easier to endure than reading this book.
June 29, 2017
Don't waste your time.
November 18, 2017
Yours For Eternity will be loved by diehard romance fans and by people who have followed Damien Echols� legal journey over the years. (I’m in the latter category and I consumed the book in less than 24 hours.) Anyone else may cringe at the almost teenage intensity and lack of sophistication of the early relationship between Echols and his wife. But you have to give them credit for baring as much as they did here� one might expect them to have taken some self-serving liberties when transcribing their letters, but there’s a lot that is more embarrassing than glamorizing. Emotional immaturity and other personal flaws are front and center. I don’t think there can be any doubt that these letters were never intended to be read by anyone else at the time they were written. Hats off to this brave couple. Echols and Davis, who have been public figures for a long time, become real people to the reader through this book, and it reminds me that all relationships (and all people) are damaged and embarrassing and a lot of work, if only you could see them behind the closed doors that hide our private thoughts. How can you not root for these two? I’m in the club wishing them a happy ending.
December 29, 2018
I liked the book and am very familiar with the story having watched all the HBO Docs about the tragedy the befell Damien and his friends. This book is comprised of some of the over 5,000 letters the two exchanged over 11 years (of the 18) that Damien was falsely imprisoned on Death Row. It was interesting to watch Lorri grow in the strength and love of their relationship over time and to be brutally honest, if it wasn't for the "period updates" as I shall call them throughout the book, I really would think the woman was a bit unstable (shaves her head after a breakup?). But I came to really like her and how brave she is to put herself out there and admit how naïve and insecure she truly was and you can experience her growth right along with her through the letters. I only gave the book 3 stars as some of the letters were very repetitive and I felt not necessary. If you get this book with the impression it will be about the murders or about the trial/s, etc., it is not - it is only focused on the relationship between this couple. It is warming to know that love comes in all forms - continued blessings to them both.
September 9, 2018
I hadn't looked into the West Memphis 3, although I'd heard of them. I caught myself up by watching Paradise Lost. This is one of those boys, Damien Echols, and his wife, Lorrie as they write letters to each other as he sits on death row. They fall in love by letter, get married, and finally get to live together after Damien is released from prison 15 years later! They are a bit strange, believe in magic, etc but are smart people. Some people reviews it as "too long and could be summed up in way less letters." While that is partly true, I think its the right length to and necessary to show how the relationship developed being a "hands off" relationship for the first couple years. It is a testament to how strong love can be. I don't know if I could do what they did. I wish them all the best. Made me examine my own relationship. Also pointed out there are MANY types of relationships and not everyone's marriage is the same. Said something about magic being everything that science cannot explain or has not yet explained, kind of cool.
December 22, 2021
In Female Trouble, Aunt Ida proclaims "The world of heterosexual is a sick and boring life."
When I first found out that Damien Echols and his wife wrote a book called "Yours For Eternity," I originally figured that I was going to stay far away from it. When I found out it was a letter exchange between them, and that 2 copies were available at my local library, I changed my mind and decided to read it for the specific reason that I thought it was going to be sick and boring.
Many parts were, but there were a few touching and interesting moments.
I will concede though that if it wasn't for Lorri Davis, I am guessing that Damien Echols would have ended up dying in prison, regardless of the outrage the general public felt over his situation from watching the movies. I myself wanted to see him released for over 10 years. So about 10% of this book made an interesting summary about his and her story, which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1.
When I first found out that Damien Echols and his wife wrote a book called "Yours For Eternity," I originally figured that I was going to stay far away from it. When I found out it was a letter exchange between them, and that 2 copies were available at my local library, I changed my mind and decided to read it for the specific reason that I thought it was going to be sick and boring.
Many parts were, but there were a few touching and interesting moments.
I will concede though that if it wasn't for Lorri Davis, I am guessing that Damien Echols would have ended up dying in prison, regardless of the outrage the general public felt over his situation from watching the movies. I myself wanted to see him released for over 10 years. So about 10% of this book made an interesting summary about his and her story, which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1.
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November 16, 2021I was hoping this would be a little more than each of them revealing letters they wrote to each other while Echols was in prison. I was hoping it would have more depth. It was all rather juvenile, and at times awkwardly raunchy. That was not necessary to include. One cannot dismiss all of Davis's efforts to support and assist Echols in being freed from prison. If I was not aware of all the work she put into the case, I would have thought their relationship was nothing more than Davis being in love with Echols notoriety, and Echols starving for a connection to the outside world - and to be loved in a world he felt hated him.
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