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Best Book Club Questions and Reviews

Matt Haig's The Comfort Book

20/10/2021

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Book Review of Matt Haig's The Comfort Book

The Comfort Book - book cover
Matt Haig's The Comfort Book is a superb resource to dip into when feeling low.
Matt Haig’s The Comfort Book is the perfect read for anyone who has found themselves at a low ebb and needs a message of hope that things can and will get better.
 
Matt Haig begins The Comfort Book by telling the readers that the structure of his writing makes it a messy read. It has both short and long chapters, lists, quotes, case studies and even the occasional recipes. It is quite random in structure, but the theme that runs through The Comfort Book is one of connection. Everything is connected to everything else – hope to despair, pain to joy and so on. It also reminds us repeatedly that the simple fact of our existence is a reason for hope and joy, that we don’t need to try to be anything other than what we are, or meet anyone else’s expectations. Just be!
 
Matt Haig’s The Comfort Book is written in a completely non-judgmental tone. It is friendly and warm and welcoming. Part memoir, with a little bit of philosophy for beginners, for me it is a book of substance. It creates a solid and positive basis for building self-love which can help readers avoid faulty thinking or going down a spiral of negativity. Even if you are not feeling low or needing comfort it is a book of hope and I found it frequently amusing. It is definitely a book that enhancing wellbeing and creates a feeling of positivity. I was delighted to read under the heading Wolf, that “Crying releases stress hormones. Swearing increases pain tolerance. Fury can motivate us into action.”  The book legitimates both activity and inactivity as a means of managing life.
Matt Haig Author
Knowing that Matt Haig has had some really tough times, makes The Comfort Book seem very authentic to me.

Book Discussion Questions for Matt Haig's The Comfort Book

  • “The cure for loneliness is understanding who you are.” Discuss. 
  • Somewhere over the Rainbow by Judy Garland and Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles are among the songs that comforted Matt Haig. What books do you find comforting?​ 
  • Marcus Aurelius, states that if we are distressed by something external “The pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it.” And this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” Discuss whether this is something that you think you could do.
  • “One day this will be over. And we will be grateful for life in ways we never felt possible before.” This is written as a reminder for the tough times.” Discuss.
  • “Forgiving other people is great practice for forgiving yourself when the time comes.” Do you think forgiveness is easier if you have a religious faith?
  • Matt Haig believes that the act of changing our routines is good for us? To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
  • You have possibly only read Matt Haig’s The Comfort Book, because you are part of a book discussion group. Is this the kind of book that you would generally buy? Why or why not?
  • Do think this book will have wider appeal because it was written by a man?
  • Albert Camus said “There is no love of life without despair of life.” Matt Haig said he initially found this quote pretentious. What does it mean to you?
Matt Haig's The Comfort Book Cover
Matt Haig's The Comfort Book can be dipped into at any point.

Book Club Questions on The Comfort Book (If you haven't read the book)

  • “If you aim to be something you are not, you will always fail. Aim to be you.” Would you like to share any life instances when you haven’t behaved authentically?
  • Matt Haig also wrote The Midnight Library, which writes about someone’s experiences on the brink of suicide. It is also a feel-good book. Do you like an author to surprise you by writing in different genres, or do you prefer a level of predictability in a writer’s approach to topic and theme?
  • “Nothing is stronger than a small hope that doesn’t give up.” What gives you hope?
  • One of Matt Haig’s favourite films is The Sound of Music. This is because it shows how love and music and joy can’t be suppressed by the darkest forces of history. What film do you find inspirational and why?

Personal Response to Matt Haig's The Comfort Book

“Feel what you feel,” says Matt Haig. “Sometimes it is good to howl.” What’s not to like? Although written with a lightness of touch, the message of The Comfort Book is profound. Connection is all.
​
Some of the text in The Comfort Book can be viewed as an inspiration for personal activities, such as writing a list of music that is significant or cheer inspiring. I think that this book would be wonderful to dip into as a class tutor, parent or teenager. Obviously, I have no way of knowing if this is true, but my hunch is that this book has helped many people who are in complete despair.

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Mary Lawson's A Town Called Solace

11/9/2021

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Book Review of Mary Lawson's A Town Called Solace

Picture
When I saw Mary Lawson's photo in the book jacket of A Town Called Solace, I immediately wanted to be her friend, she just looked so lovely. I wonder if that makes me very weird?
Mary Lawson's A Town Called Solace is set in Northern Ontario in 1972. It is beautifully accessible, eternally hopeful and poignantly sad.

A Town Called Solace explores the relationship between Clara, (the sister of Rose, a rebellious teenager who has run away from home), with Mrs Orchard her next door neighbour, who also inexplicably disappears, and later Liam, the mysterious man who then appears in Mrs Orchard's house. Told from alternate narratives we learn everyone's story and the relationships between them. 

The main story in A Town Called Solace, is a historical one. I'ts a tale that Clara never actually learns about. Had she known I wonder how she or her parents might have felt about her friendship with Mrs. Orchard. Elizabeth Orchard, a Primary teacher who was unable to have children, befriends Liam, the small boy from next door. Events unfold and Liam is removed from Mrs Orchard's life. Years later Elizabeth, having moved to a town called Solace, leaves her house, in her will, to Liam, now a grown man, If I were teaching the book in school I'd be looking at the unreliability of narrative voice as I'm not sure I believed everything Elizabeth said!

Liam, now an accountant, in the aftermath of a failed marriage, arrives at Solace determined to stay only long enough to sort out Mrs Orchard's estate. Events unfold in a way that the reader realizes early on that Liam's visit will be a lengthy one. After all Mrs Orchard has a cat that someone must look after!  

The individual stories that emerge are tragic and heartbreaking, yet any sense of despair felt by the reader is fleeting. Somehow, Mary Lawson manages to instil hope in the most awful of situations. Perhaps it is the feisty innocence, but determination of young Clara, who links each of the stories, that allows for optimism to emerge.

The book has both a small town, parochial feel alongside a sense of it being universally important. The deceptively simple writing style embodies this. It's straightforward nature belies its utter brilliance. It feels strong and immersive. The reader is left enchanted, yet wondering why this is the case. There are definite weaknesses in the plot - the inclusion of child safety issues pertaining to Clara seem like an editor's after thought. Not particularly being a cat lover myself the ending struck me as cheesy, yet it didn't matter.

​Despite criticisms that can be made A Town Called Solace resonates to the very heart of the reader. It has the same kind of feel good message as The Midnight Library, but the plot is probably a bit darker in places.  Perhaps it is because ultimately we are all concerned with the small corners of life that make up existence. Trivial  to others, but important to us.

It is both pleasing and surprising that Mary Lawson's A Town Called Solace has been longlisted for the Booker Prize. I wonder if it could win?

Book Discussion Questions on Mary Lawson's A Town Called Solace

  • How much empathy did you have for Elizabeth and how much of what she said did you believe?
  • What do we learn about attitudes to the elderly from the conversations that Elizabeth and Martha have?
  • What chance does the relationship between Liam and the librarian have of being a successful one? Discuss.
  • Was Liam right to adivse Karl's son to go back to university? Discuss.
  • Very little is said about what happened to Rose when she is brought back home? Do you think this is a weakness of the novel? Discuss.
  • Do you think the technique of using different narrative voices to tell the story is successful. Why or why not?
  • What is the signficance of the cat in the novel?
  • Would you enjoy living somewhere like Solace? Perhaps you do? Why is somewhere like Solace a good or 'not so good' place to live?
  • Why do you think A Town Called Solace made its way onto the Booker shortlist?
  • Which character in the story do you have the most empathy for and why? Discuss.
  • Was Elizabeth wrong to allow Clara in her house, without having discussed her previous mental health issues with Clara's parents?
  • To what extent do you think Liam's adult personality fits with the childhood that he experienced, assuming that we believe to some extent at least Elizabeth's and his own portrayal of what occured?

Bookclub Questions on A Town Called Solace (if you haven't read the book!)

Mary Lawson's A Town Called Solace Book Cover
Mary Lawson's A Town Called Solace is a captivating read from beginning to end. An eloquent and sophisticated book, yet without pretension. Its power took me completely by surprise.
  • A Town Called Solace is acclaimed by Graham Norton on the back cover. To what extent do you take notice of reviews when choosing novels?
  • Would you allow your child to spend time with a neighbour if you knew they'd had mental health issues?
  • Where would you go if you were looking for solace? Do you have a special place?
  • ​How important is it for you to have all loose ends tied up in a novel?
  • A Town Called Solace is set in 1972, so almost fifty years ago. Is that long enough ago for it to be considered a historical novel?

Personal Response to Mary Lawson's A Town Called Solace

The fascinating thing about The Booker Prize is how diverse the selected longlist and then the short list of books are. I would not have expected this to be on it, yet why not? It is a powerful and sophisticated exploration of the frailty of people. It deserves it's place.

The more I read, particularly in recent years, the more obvious it seems to me that the fundamental purpose of all fiction is just to help us understand ourselves and the people we love. Mary Lawson achieves this in A Town Called Solace. It is probably a good job that I've been out of the teaching profession for several years now. If that's all I'd had to say when teaching IB English my lessons would have been very short. 
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Fredrik Backman's Anxious People

8/9/2021

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Book Review of Fredrik Backman's Anxious People

Book Fredrik Backman Anxious People with flowers alongside
Fredrik Backman never fails to put a fail good message across. In Anxious People he does so with quite a complicated plot.
Fredrik Backman's Anxious People is a thought provoking book, with overall an uplifting and feel good vibe. It encourages us to be kind and reflect on what really matters in life. The plot is clearly thought out and effectively executed. The way all the loose ends are tied up at the end is incredibly well done. Bravo Fredrik!

The driving force of the plot of Anxious People is a failed bank robbery, which inadvertently turns into something of a farcical hostage situation. The bank robber, running from the scene of the crime, that never happened, ends up in an apartment where eight prospective buyers are being shown round by an estate agent. They inadvertently find themselves in a siege situation, being held by the hapless bank robber who had no plans to take anyone hostage.

There follows an exploration of the emotions, hopes, dreams, losses and achievements of the different characters lives. Flaws are revealed, conversations are held, histories are shared and, above all, the fundamental need for connection between humans is illustrated.

Bring in a father/son police officer duo into the action and a whole extra dimension to the story is added.  The scene is  set for a fully-fledged crime drama with a heavy dosage of irony, humour and pathos. The blurb on the back of Fredrik Backman's Anxious People suggests that this is a restorative book that reminds the readers of the good in humanity. In this way, it is almost interchangeable with A Man Called Ove. 

Backman comments on how many of the jokes are lost in the translation of this book from Swedish to English. I don't easily laugh out loud so for me, that's no problem. The dominant tone is probably one of pathos that is enjoyable to read. As a writer Backman reminds me quite a bit of Matt Haig. I would put Anxious People in exactly the same genre as The Midnight Library. Both texts are poignant reminders that despite the mistakes we make along the way, life is precious and every moment needs to be valued.

Book Discussion Questions on Fredrik Backman's Anxious People

Head and shoulders shot of Fredrik Bakman
Fredrik Bakman's writes in Swedish and says the jokes are often lost in translatation. My friend said she laughed out loud frequently when reading Anxious People.
  • Which of the hostages' personal stories resonated most strongly with you and why?
  • At what point in Anxious People did you realize that the bank robber was female? What does this reveal to you about Fredrik Backman as a writer? You may also wish to explore what it reveals about your own subconscious biases.
  • Did you find any of the characters dislikeable or immensely irritating? Discuss who and why?
  • Which of the characters in Anxious People are more similar than they realize? Discuss why you think this.
  • Which of the characters did you liken yourself most to? Discuss. If you feel comfortable discuss which characters you likened other members of your book group to.
  • In Anxious People, the narrative voice is quite didactic while claiming an over familiar intimacy with the reader. Do you agree with this statement? Why, or why not?
  • Discuss the significance of the therapy sessions between Zara and the psychologist. "What does it reveal about both characters and what does this reveal about the human condition? 
  • The relationship between the two police officers is largely defined in relationship to the characters' deceased wife/mother. Discuss how this has affected their relationship. Which of the two officers do you have most compassion towards and why?
  • Anxious People is as much an exploration of modern capitalist society as it is a book about people. Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with this statement.

Book Discussion Questions on Anxious People (if you haven't read the book!)

  • The human condition is a term that is often used in relation to texts that are largely exploring character. What does the human condition mean to you?
  • How do you think you would react if you found yourself in a hostage situation with a very nervous kidnapper?
  • Fredrik Backman encourages the reader to feel empathy for all the people in Anxious People. How empathetic a person do you feel yourself to be? Do you have examples to support your belief?
  • The police officers' wife/mother had a religious faith that didn't stop her telling bawdy jokes and that she didn't lose when faced with an early death. Do you have a religious faith? How strong is it and from where did it orignate? Have a conversation about religious belief if you feel comfortable doing so.
  • To what extent do you feel that the corporate world of banking is responsible for problems in today's society.?
  • ​Anxious People shows how easily people, through no fault of their own, can fall into poverty and homelessness. If you are comfortable doing so, discuss any adversity that you have overcome.
  • What parts of Fredrik Backman's Anxious People did you find particularly amusing? What parts of the story did you find particularly sad? Was there an overlap? Discuss how humour can help in even the bleakest of scenarios.

Personal Response to Fredrik Backman's Anxious People

For me it is the vulnerability and fragility of human life that stands out in Fredrik Backman's Anxious People. ​It is a book I'd definitely recommend. There was, though, one aspect of the writing style that I couldn't reconcile myself to. A key theme of the book is to show that we shouldn't be judgemental and that we need to understand the backstory of an individual to really understand them. That's great and I adhere to it, yet I found the narrative style constantly judging those who judge! I found the discourse slightly patronizing and just a little bit supercilious. I haven't explained that well and maybe I'm being unfair. My friend who loaned me the book felt  that the narrative is simply a commentary, not a judgement. I'm not sure who's right. Either way, I wouldn't let that stop you reading the book and deciding for yourself. If you need a lift, Anxious People is probably a great choice for you.
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Matt Haig's The Midnight Library

14/8/2021

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Book Review of Matt Haig's The Midnight Library

The Midnight Library book cover
I wonder whether Matt Haig's The Midnight Library was originally planned to be teen fiction?
Matt Haig's The Midnight Library tells the story of 35 year old Nora Seed, following the night she takes an overdose. The various things wrong with Nora's life emerge quite quickly. She had a difficult father, she became ostracized from her brother when she jumped ship on the band they were in together, just as it started to be successful. Her best friend is upset with her for not joining her in Australia. Just when things seem pretty much at rock bottom she is fired as a piano tutor by the single student she has and her cat dies! 

It doesn't take long for all the factors leading to Nora's suicide to emerge. Neither does it take long to figure out how Matt Haig is going to present his message to us. In a between life and death state, Nora finds herself in a large library where, as long as it stays midnight, she has the option to try out all the lives she might choose to live. The process of doing so enables her to eradicate the numerous regrets she has. Nora tries on many lives, from olympic swimmer, rockstar, wife of a famous musician, wine producer and countless more. What becomes apparent is that every life leads to different choices which not only affect her, but also the lives of other characters.

As a child Mrs. Elm, the school librarian was always kind to Nora and it is she who comforted her when she received the news that her father had died. It makes sense then that it is Mrs. Elm who navigates Nora through the library.

In the story, The Midnight Library, Nora is intelligent and aritculate. She is also afraid of life. She knows that her brain is tricking her and she is acutely aware that whatever choices she makes she is living as a kind of imposter. She returns time after time too her 'root life,' until finally the decision has to be made about whether she will live or die. ​
​
As readers, we are left questioning whether Nora is actually in her 'root life' or whether that is simply one among many parallel existences. 

Book Discussion Questions on Matt Haig's The Midnight Library

  • Of all the lives that Nora experiences which would you most like to sample?
  • If you could invent a parallel life what would happen in it?
  • In the life when Nora wasn't teaching Leo piano, he found himself frequently in trouble with the police. What point is Haig making? How convincing do you find this point?
  • It was after Nora's cat died that she took an overdose. She felt that she hadn't even been able to look after an animal properly. How significant would a pet be to you in maintaining good mental health?
  • I've suggested that the book is aimed primarily at teenagers? Do you agree? Why, or why not?
  • Do you believe in the possibility of the existence of parallel lives?
  • Who would you cast as the main characters if The Midnight Library was a film?​
  • Before she took an overdose Nora contacted the brother from whom she was estranged to tell him she loved him. Discuss why she does this? 
  • What do you think will happen to Noral in her root life in The Midnight Library?
  • Mrs. Elm is presented as a stereotypcially kind and gentle librarian. We learn at the end of the book that she has made lots of mistakes in her own life. Why do you think Haig includes this detail about Mrs. Elm?​
  • The chapters varied in length and were often dependent on the amount of time Nora spent in a parallel life. The chapter headings were often very wordy and gave detailed summaries of what was about to happen? Discuss what you liked and disliked stylistically about the book.
Matt Haig head and shoulders photo

Book Discussion Questions on The Midnight Library (if you haven't read the book!)

  • Who would be the final person you would contact if your life was coming to an end?
  • Nora was fired from her job at the music shop because she wasn't cheerful enough? Is this a good enough reason to get fired?
  • Nora talks about how one small action impacts other actions. Share an incident where something you have done in life has had a dramatic knock on effect.
  • Life is a journey that we are just passing through. Discuss what this comment makes you think.
  • A key theme in the book is that of 'regrets'. Do you have any regrets that you wish to share? Does it serve any purpose having regrets? Discuss.
  • Nora says towards the end of the book "I Am Alive". What does being alive mean to you?
  • This book is dealing with a suicide attempt. Although it is ultimately uplifting there are several points in it which make pretty grim reading. Should books which address poor mental health have a warning on them?
  • In one of Nora's lives she goes to Australia and stays for a while even when her life is terrible. Why do people stay in situations that don't add positively to their existence?​
  • The book has lots of references to famous philosophers and other references that are linked to literature and popular culture. For example she refers to both Adichie and Judith Kerr's The Tiger Who Came to Tea. Do you enjoy books that are set in a particular time and place in history or do you prefer books that seem more timeless?

Personal Response to Matt Haig's The Midnight Library

I quite enjoyed Matt Haig's The Midnight Library. I respected the message that Haig was putting across. He includes a lot of signposts for how we can look after our mental health. In The Midnight Library, Haig is teaching us that regrets don't help us move forward. We can't actually change the past, but we can choose our futures. We can't guarantee they are perfect, but we can live them. I could appreciate that message. There are whole passages in the book that are worth having as a mantra to live by. For anyone struggling with their mental health, it is well worth revisiting these sections.

Like a lot of readers, I've struggled to concentrate in recent weeks. I wrote about managing  coronavirus stress some weeks ago, so I was happy enough to enjoy the obvious direct nature of Haig's writing style. As I read The Midnight Library, I kept thinking it must have been written with a teen fiction audience in mind, as the message does get hammered home. I think it is fair to say that Matt Haig's The Midnight Library, is linear and lacks subtlety.

When I was reading it felt, at times, like Haig had returned to chapters already written and added in a bit of extra text to make sure that the reader hadn't missed any of the intended message. This gave it a slightly didactic feel. The story reminded me a bit of Life on Mars, with that whole between life and death feeling. In terms of choosing different lives, it is a bit like Kate Atkinson's Life After Life. Life After Life is a more sophisticated book though. The character Nora, in the story has studied philosophy, but I don't really view this as a philosophical text. It's more a cross between self-help and fiction.

If you follow my book blogs, you'll know that of late I've become quite obsessed with Richard Holloway and have recently read Waiting for the Last Bus. I think he would highly recommend The Midnight Library to readers. It covers the big questions. It's a totally different level and style of reading to Waiting for the Last Bus, but the messages of both are not so different. I enjoyed the book and found parts of it quite profound, but I felt like it needed another round of editing to move it from an okay book to a really good read.
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Sarah Moss's Summerwater

1/8/2021

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Book Review of Sarah Moss's Summerwater

Sarah Moss - author
I hadn't realised that Sarah Moss also wrote Ghost Wall. I haven't read it yet, but plan to soon!
Sarah Moss's Summerwater describes the holiday experiences of a series of families who are staying in log cabins, near a loch, in a remote part of Scotland. The chapters are, if you like, snapshots, or snippets, of the different holiday makers' lives.

Some of the families own their cabins and others rent them. There is a feeling that nothing is quite what it seems and the lives of everyone are falling apart. Everyone is vaguely watching everyone else and no one is entirely sympathetic to one another. At the resort it is noted that a new family, interlopers, people who come and go making noise, have arrived. The equilibrium is disturbed and the reader is led on a heady path to where they know not. This is cleverly portrayed by the children on the swing, who leave a child struggling because she doesn't look or sound right and doesn't wear the right clothes.

Moss explores characters of all ages and touches many issues. We see the fear of dementia in the eyes of the elderly lady, alongside years of harboured resentments within the marriage. We observe the middle-aged woman running for her life, such is her seeming desire to escape it! We see the self-conscious teenager take risks with his safety, venturing too far into the loch in storrmy conditions. Disappointment pervades the characters' emotions.

The relentless use of pathetic fallacy provides no let-up. It is perhaps ironic that I actually found one of the only hopeful moments presented via the dissatisfied mother of young children, who, when given an hour to herself, could think of no way to fill it, other than returning to the children who were paddling in puddles on the beach - the children, her source of discontent, were still loved. 

In between each snap shot of life are short descriptions of nature and change there is an impending sense of doom. Within them is a lot to say about the balance between nature and people. These pages need reading properly.


There are parts of Summerwater that everyone will relate to. It is a book that invites introspection and reflection. It is a short book, but with a lot to say about the purpose or futility of existence and the flawed nature of people. Subtle, but with the appearance of deceptive simplicity, Sarah Moss's Summerwater needs reading carefully.

Book Discussion Questions on Sarah Moss's Summerwater

  • Different narrative voices are created for different characters in Summerwater. Which character would you like to learn more about and why?
  • Is there any significance in the fact that on the cover the book, the word Summerwater goes over two lines, whereas inside the book it is written as one word? Why are the chapter headings in lower case? Discuss.
  • In Summerwater there is quite a lot of humour amongst the tragedy. Discuss. Which parts of the text did you find both amusing and sad?
  • Would the outcome of the story have been the same if the rain had stopped? Discuss.
  • Hilary Mantel says that Summerwater is "utterly of the moment." What does she mean?
  • Explore Alex's feelings towards his parents? How do you react to this through the different lenses of someone both his age and older?
  • Throughout the text there is a sense of an all-knowing voyeur lurking in the background. Discuss this statement. Do you agree with it? How is the sense of being watched presented?
  • Which of the stories in Summerwater did you find most disturbing and why?
  • How is fear presented in the different stories?​
  • What attitudes towards change did you observe in the stories?
Sarah Moss's Summer water - book cover
I hadn't realised just how well thought of, in the literary world, Summer water is. Sarah Moss gets some great reviews on the cover of this book by some top writers.

Book Discussion Questions on Summerwater (if you haven't read the book!)

  • Summerwater is set in a faded resort of worn holiday cabins where it constantly rains. What experiences do you have of holidays that fail to live up to expectations?
  • In one of the chapters, a young woman called Milly asks whether it is ok for a feminist to have a rape fantasy.? She is vaguely troubled by the idea. What reply would you give her?
  • In one of the chapters a young mum can't think of anything to do except clean the taps when she is given an hours freedom from her children. Can you relate to this?
  • There is an undercurrent of unspoken racism and resentment against the outsider in the novel. What experiences do you have of that in life?
  • The book is bleak and lacking in hope for the future. Discuss your own feelings, beliefs and attitdues about the world we are leaving for the next generation? ​​
  • The book is separated into chapters, each giving a snapshot of how the different characters are feeling. The characters lives are both separate to one another but strangely intertwined. Think about the neigbourhood in which you live? To what extent do you and your neighbours have a separate and also shared existence? 

Personal Response to Sarah Moss's Summerwater

I was interested to see how great the reviews were for this book. I feel I missed a trick when I was reading it. Overall, I found Summerwater a bit creepy. I bet it isn't a book that Richard Holloway would enjoy at all, for example! It is the bleakest book I've read in a long time! I don't mind a good sprinkling of despair as a rule, but this perhaps was a bit close to the bone!

Sarah Moss did a wonderful job of creating tension. She draws character extremely well, but I didn't put all the stories together adequately and consequently was left a bit befuddled by the ending. I also didn't pay sufficient attention to the little in-between chapters, yet I could recognize how they were important. Any lack of engagement about the text is definitely more linked to my state of mind, than to what is a well-written dramatic and profound book. It was quite sinister though and the final page or so completely disturbing. I think I probably admired, rather than loved, Sarah Moss's Summerwater.
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