Editing a short story the other day, I came across this sentence: (1) "He was not welcome but not necessarily unwelcome." Logically, that sentence doesn't make sense, but from context, I realize the writer means something akin to (2) "Though no one wanted him there, he was allowed to be there." I wouldn't write line 1 (it's not to my personal taste), but as an editor, should I leave line 1 alone or replace it with line 2?
This line to me is a little confusing. I'm not sure what it means. This line is a little easier to understand, but maybe we can write it without repeating the word "there." -- No-one wanted him there, but they had no grounds to kick him out.
