Everything I Never Told You

Book Club #14.
Lesson: Parenting is hard.

About the Book:

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Summary: 

A mixed race family of five live a seemingly normal life until the star middle child is found dead. The story jumps back and forth between history and present-day, between thoughts and experiences of each family member, and reveals many attitudes, perspectives, and misunderstandings. Each family member must come to terms with the reality of the death of Lydia and the realization that they may not have truly known and understood her.

Characters:

• Lydia Lee
• Marilyn Lee - mother
• James Lee - father
• Nathan Lee - older brother
• Hannah Lee - little sister
• Jack

Questions:

1. Lydia often went to great lengths to please her parents. Do you remember some of the things you did to meet your parents' expectations?

2. Do you think Hannah's experience as the invisible youngest sibling is typical? Why or why not?

3. Do you think that Lydia ultimately committed suicide or was it an accident?

4. Do you think the things the characters in the book would have wanted to say the things that were left unsaid?

5. Which character(s) did you most relate to?
6. Did you like the structure of jumping back and forth in time? Were you able to keep up?
7. Many characters seemed to be misunderstood by friends, neighbors and family members. Were there times in your life where people have a very misguided impression of you or where you misunderstood someone else?

8. Parents often see themselves in their children and place their own hopes and fears on them. How was this done in the book? Were there things your parents said/did that spoke more to their attitudes/interests versus your personal interests?

9. Lydia seemed to be viewed as the star child in the family - there is often debate about how to motivate children and how much attention and focus should be placed on children and academic success. Any thoughts or future plans on how to deal with these issues if you are a parent?

Conversation Summary:

Discussion topics:

• Book structure, audio/physical book
• Relating to difference characters
• Struggles/differences in mixed culture relationships
• Family pressure and expectations
• Parenting - what is the best way to raise children, academic pressure, parents trying to make up for personal mistakes/goals
• Character success
• Differences between siblings
• How did Lydia die, purpose/accidental

3/3 bears liked this book

References:

11.2016 Everything I Never Told You

Introduction:

Yay, an Asian writer.

Overview:

"Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet . . . So begins the story of this exquisite debut novel, about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother’s bright blue eyes and her father’s jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue—in Marilyn’s case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James’s case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every party.

When Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together tumbles into chaos, forcing them to confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them apart. James, consumed by guilt, sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to find a responsible party, no matter what the cost. Lydia’s older brother, Nathan, is certain that the neighborhood bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it’s the youngest of the family—Hannah—who observes far more than anyone realizes and who may be the only one who knows the truth about what happened.

A profoundly moving story of family, history, and the meaning of home, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, exploring the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family, and uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another."

Book Details:

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Penguin Press; First Edition, First Printing edition (June 26, 2014)
ISBN-10: 159420571X
ISBN-13: 978-1594205712
Awards: Alex Awards

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Curious Incident of the Dog at Nightime

Book Club #4!

About the Book:

Summary: 

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow. He is quite picky about the way he lives his life and his parents must adapt to his quirks. When his neighbor's dog is killed, Christopher goes on a quest to investigate the suspicious death and is encouraged by a mentor to write a book about the mystery. The quest ends up causing him to uncover much more about his neighbors and family.

Characters:

• Christopher
• Christopher’s father (Ed Boone)
• Christopher’s mother (Judy Boone)
• Mrs. Shears (Eileen Shears)
• Mr. Shears (Roger Shears)
• Siobhan
• Mrs. Alexander
• Wellington - Mrs. Shears’s black poodle
• Toby - Christopher's rate
  

Questions:

1. Dogs are often used as therapy animals, including for autism. Why do you think the main character was so concerned about Wellington? How are animals able to connect/benefit individuals with autism?
2. Do you think the main character was more concerned about the death of the dog than the disappearance of his mother? Discuss reasons.
3. Which character were you able to empathize with most and which situation in the book highlights that sentiment?
4.  The author used an 15 yr old autistic boy as a narrator for the book. The book is not exactly linear and is filled with diagrams. How did you like this writing style?
5. Christopher is articulate about his feelings and why or why not he prefers certain things. How do you feel about this kind of honesty/interaction?
6. How do you think things might have been different if the protagonist had been an adult?

Conversation Summary:

Discussion topics:

• author's writing style
• what did you know about autism before reading the book and what is your current perspective on treatment and care of autistic individuals
• Christopher reacts strongly to different triggers such as colors, did his behavior improve as he grew older or did people around him simply adapt better to his preferences
• how his parents adapted and reacted differently to his behavior
• why his mother left
• which character did you empathize and/or sympathize for most 
• what would you do similarly or differently from the parents if you had an autistic child
• current scientific thinking about autism and causes of autism

3/3 bears happy to have read this book.

References:

1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Official Trailer
A tony-winning play!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O704ld5WQnk

05.2015 Curious Incident of Dog in the Nighttime

Introduction:

Another mystery! Hopefully not as dark and depressing as the last book. It's our shortest book yet!

Book Jacket:

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

This improbable story of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

Book Details:

Length: 226 pages
Publisher: Vintage
Published: May 18, 2004
ISBN: 1400032717
ISBN13: 978-1400032716

Get Book: 

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Audible
Overdrive
Used.addall

Dark Places

Book Club #3!

About the Book:

Summary: 

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” She survived—and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes—locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started—on the run from a killer.

Setting:Kinnakee, Kansas 1985 to present-day

Characters:

• Lyle
• Libby Day
• Patty
• Ben
• Michelle
• Debbie
• Aunt Diane
• Runner
• Diondra
• Krissi Cates
• Trey

Questions:

1. How do you like the style of shifting narrators in Gillian Flynn's books?

2. Flynn is known for writing books with unsavory protagonists and twists. Did Libby, Patty, and Ben serving as narrators affect how much you liked the book?

3. Throughout the book, Libby is pulled back into reliving the evening when her whole family was killed. People with seemingly good intentions, e.g., people who wanted to help Libby or exonerate Ben, kind of force her back to the "dark place." How do you think this impacts her world view or growing up?

4. Did you have any conspiracy theories or ideas about who the killer(s) might be as you read the book?

5. Can a person's social role/how they are viewed by others/how many friends they associate be a good indicator of guilt? Should these factors be weighed heavily in an investigation. Describe how a community's assumptions and discrimination against a person/family can affect fairness in the legal system.

6. Do you think the mother's decision was justified or a good idea? What other options do you think she may have had? Why did she not chose those other options?

4. In the story, Lyle is a member of a Kill Club - a group of people that re-investigate murders. What is the most unique/interesting club or organization that you have been involved with?

Conversation Summary:

Calling through conference call seemed to be the easiest solution. Here was some discussion topics:

•  the author uses a similar narrative format of jumping between different points of view through the book, it gave the book a richer experience, readers get a better understanding of each character
• Ben was a favorite character, you can see why he had fan clubs
• the book was a bit difficult to get into the ending was not very satisfying, predictable for some but not so predictable for others
• presented issues with flaws with the legal system - using a minor's testimony, lack of substantial evidence, bias from the way the community viewed the Day family
• children being easily swayed by parents' expectations or what the children think they want to here (Libby, Krissi, etc.)
• Patty was a weak character, she had a lot of responsibilities, could she handle a farm and four children, unsure of herself and authority over Ben
• terrible choice of resolving her money problems, Patty's plans and motivations completely backfired - all the life insurance money went towards Ben's defense and the children did not have a better life
• whether Ben had a better life in jail
• changing theories of who the murderer was throughout the book
• money as a primary motivator throughout the book
• how the lack and abundance of money changed how people lived their lives (Ben working hard as a child vs. Libby not doing anything until she ran out of money vs. Les Miserables)
• whether the characters with money or no money lived meaningful existences
•  men vs. women in dealing with hardship, isolation, etc.
• 
  

References:

1.Trailer for Dark Places
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJJjy2cZeLk

04.2015 Dark Places

April Winner: Dark Places

 

 Introduction:

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” She survived—and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes—locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started—on the run from a killer.

Book Details:

Length: 349 pages
Publisher: Broadway Books
Published: May 4, 2010
ISBN: 0307341577

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Overdrive
Used.addall

Discussion Question Inspiration:

Author's Website

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