Tamburitza Lingua by violet (G)

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

Fandom: THE WEST WING
Pairing: none; CJ gen-fic
Author on LJ: tangleofthorns
Author Website: spark
Why this must be read:

This is a look at a strong woman under immense pressure, and almost ready to crack -- CJ in all her contradictions and all her glory and shame, defined by the silences surrounding her words, summed up in a short, beautiful story.

Violet has an amazing ability to effortlessly get inside CJ’s skin and let us see the desperation and vulnerability she’s feeling in the wake of the MS scandal and her own missteps afterward, the way her belief in the job, and Bartlet, and herself is shattered, and how she is holding together, barely.

Two quick quotes:

Silence can be threatening, but sometimes she cannot stand any more spoken words.

Though she talks all day long, there are infinite things she cannot say.

CJ's world is built and destroyed by words every day, and this story understands the power of language to do that, and the people who wield it.

Tamburitza Lingua by violet