Book Club. All Are Welcome. Reading for End of May: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

[lemon_tree]

Amy, that's how I always feel, too!

 

[BookGeek]

I love these discussions! It's so fun to see how many different interpretations there are, and how we each get something different out of the exact same story. Everyone always points out something I feel like I completely missed!

 

[lemon_tree]

Yessss exactly, BG!

And Sun, here's how you can do a spoiler; use this code:

[SPOILER&] Type hidden text in here [/SPOILER&]

Just remove the ampersand from in the brackets and that'll make the text in between the two bracketed sections disappear. It'll look like this:

Spoiler

Type hidden text in here

(In advanced posting mode (desktop), you can also highlight the text you want to hide and click the icon at the top that looks like a smiley face with a censor bar over the eyes. That'll do it!)

 

[lemon_tree]

P.S. So who wanted to pick the next book?

 

[tankel]

Who hasn't picked one yet?

 

[sunshine2014]

Thanks, lemon, I still totally don't get it though

 

[amyamyamy]

Me but I don't want the responsibility

 

[writingislove]

FINALLY posting my answers.

Spoiler

1. What did you think of this book?
Up until the boat, I was really worried I wouldn't be able to finish it. I just wasn't feeling it. But once the boat sank, I was HOOKED. It was incredible.

2. What do you think is the significance of Richard Parker?
To me, it depends on which of the two stories you're referring to. In the story with the animals, Richard Parker signifies overcoming fear and surviving no matter how dire things get. In the story with the people, he represents basic human instinct and the good, evil, guilt, and innocence that is a part of all of us.

3. Why do you think the author (Martel) chose to wrap the story of Pi Patel inside the story of the narrator?
I felt it was wrapped inside the story of the narrator to give us a glimpse of how Pi's life was affected (and, at the same time, not affected) by his ordeal.

4. What do you think the floating island symbolizes? Do you think it was real?
I didn't view it as being symbolic of anything--what I actually got out of that portion of the book was that Pi had been lost at sea for too long, and his mental state was failing.

5. Which of Pi's stories do you think is true? Can they both be true?
I think the story with the people is the one that is "true," and the story with the animals is Pi's way of coping with what he went through.

6. Which of Pi's stories did you like better? Why?
The one with the animals, by far. It's easier to accept--and more importantly, forgive--the aggressive nature of the animals like the tiger and the hyena, than it is to accept this behavior from humans.

7. What do you think each of the animals on the boat represents?
I don't see each animal representing just one thing or idea; I think collectively, they represent primal human instincts: food, survival, love (or the need for relationships).

 

[tankel]

I guess I can go again if no one wants to.

 

[sunshine2014]

Go for it, Tank!

WAIT...have you guys read The Girl on the Train yet? I want to watch the movie, but my SIL says I should def read the book first....

 

[amyamyamy]

I've read it, I enjoyed it!

 

[tankel]

I've heard it's not so good if your TTC. I haven't read it, but if thats true (amy?) maybe we should skip that one.

 

[lemon_tree]

Yeah I heard that, too. Was it BG who mentioned that? I want to read it but if that's the case, I don't know that I want to read it in a group.

I'm reading Alone on the Wall by Alex Honnold and David Roberts, right now, if you girls want to join me. I have a rock climbing crush on him. (Something tells me it might not be a top choice for the book club as it's not really a novel.)

 

[sunshine2014]

OH man, why not good for ttc?

 

[tankel]

I think one of the characters deals with infertility? Again not positive.

 

[writingislove]

Oooo I want to read that, but if we need to leave it out of book club I'll go it alone.

 

[amyamyamy]

That's right Tank, I completely forgot about that until you mentioned it. The main character had infertility issues among other things... probably best to pass on it.

 

[sunshine2014]

No problem!!!! Just was the only one I had been recommended lately.

 

[BookGeek]

The Girl on the Train is an interesting book, but yes, it can be a bit hard to handle because of the infertility issues. I didn't like the way the author painted the character as a result.

Has anyone read Ready Player One? Or A Farewell to Arms? Or Summerlong? Those are currently sitting on my nightstand waiting to be read.

 

[lemon_tree]

Oh I've been meaning to read A Farewell to Arms. I'd be down for that.