Wow, was that a fun night and a great read. Thank you Julie for hosting us in your beautiful home, next time I hope an art tour is in order. This time, we were just too enthralled with this wonderful novel to tear ourselves away, except perhaps for a nibble or two.
The consensus was that this was an amazing novel, beautifully written with an interesting and unusual central thought - that breathing is both an imperative and a choice. The emotional fallout of that choice had, in this case, recriminations that affected the trajectory of the lives of each character. While our attention is on the main character, Bruce Pike, each person in this narrative was damaged as illustrated by their breath, in some cases by their compulsion to stop breathing. Brilliant. And very intense.
If this were any less well written, more tautly constructed, this story would not work anywhere near as well. The descriptions, particularly of surfing were mesmerizing and wholly believable. The characters, perhaps were not as well wrought. Particularly the older (but far from old!) Eva and Sando, who were the center of the storm for these two young boys were a bit flat.
I wondered a bit whether what happened to these two boys, only 11 years old at the start of the story, was enough to set their courses so permanently. If it had been two young girls though, I likely would have considered the adult behavior predatory and dangerous. Even as presented, with a bit of the Aussie swagger, there are some experiences that you can't get over, no matter what you try. For Looney, it meant a life of thrill-seeking of greater proportions until the inevitable end. For Pikelet, it was a life apart. Maybe they would have ended up in those spots anyway, but it sure didn't seem so.
And so, on to October which is right around the corner. We are meeting on Oct. 16, place TBD as there is a last minute change. Anyone want to volunteer? And a change in the book - we were schedule to discuss War and Peace but decided we needed more time. The October book is now Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which we think will be an easy read, allowing more time for you know what.
See you all soon!
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