It's hard to believe, since we’ve had such mild, late-September-like days, but this is, in fact, the beginning of the first full week in November, for many a difficult month due to shorter days and more dreary, drab weather. We’ve actually had lots of sunny, clear days, so hopefully that’s helping some people who usually suffer at this time of year. I like November, with generally crisp, chilly days, bare tree branches and brisk winds. Strangely enough, I still have my sandals out, as it’s going to be 22 degrees one day next week! Anyway, it’s a “long” weekend, with the extra hour due to the time-change, so I finally feel like I'm “ahead of the game”.
Yesterday my Volunteer book group met to discuss Laura Dave’s bestseller, The Last Thing He Told Me, which prompted great discussion, even though most of us thought the book was just OK. This novel tells the story of Hannah, a wood sculptor who is left to cope with her sixteen-year-old step-daughter Bailey after her husband Owen disappears following the announcement that the tech company he works for is under investigation for fraud. Hannah has no idea where Owen is or how to connect with the reluctant, distant Bailey, but she manages to piece together clues that lead her to Austin, Texas, where she believes she will find the truth. What she discovers, however, is not what she expected, and she must find a way to go forward and do the right thing for not only herself, but for Bailey and Owen. This novel was not perfect, but we all agreed that it was a page-turner that kept us reading (or listening) to find out what would happen next. It had many moments that made us go “What??”, moments that forced us to suspend our sense of disbelief, but we all finished it and had many things to discuss. We talked about Hannah’s choices at the beginning and at the end of the book, and how she determined what to do based on little information. We discussed her relationship with Bailey, and how difficult the discoveries at the end of the book would have been for her. We talked about whether Hannah told Bailey about her choices or whether she as the adult just made the choice for both of them. Mostly we discussed the ending, the improbability of it, how confusing it was, how Dave left many questions unanswered, and how difficult it would have been for Hannah to live her life after making the choices she made for everyone involved. We also discussed the writing, which we felt was fairly simplistic, so this was not a book you would choose to read if you were looking for a literary mystery. Overall, while we didn’t love the book, it was a great discussion and so I would say that if you’re booking for a mystery/thriller, this would not be a bad choice.
That’s all for today! Get outside and enjoy the sunshine!
Bye for now... Julie
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