My Not So Perfect Life
Sophie Kinsella, 2016
Random House
448 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780812998269
Summary
Part love story, part workplace drama, this sharply observed novel is a witty critique of the false judgments we make in a social-media-obsessed world. Sophie Kinsella has written her most timely novel yet.
Everywhere Katie Brenner looks, someone else is living the life she longs for, particularly her boss, Demeter Farlowe. Demeter is brilliant and creative, lives with her perfect family in a posh townhouse, and wears the coolest clothes.
Katie’s life, meanwhile, is a daily struggle—from her dismal rental to her oddball flatmates to the tense office politics she’s trying to negotiate. No wonder Katie takes refuge in not-quite-true Instagram posts, especially as she's desperate to make her dad proud.
Then, just as she’s finding her feet—not to mention a possible new romance—the worst happens. Demeter fires Katie. Shattered but determined to stay positive, Katie retreats to her family’s farm in Somerset to help them set up a vacation business.
London has never seemed so far away—until Demeter unexpectedly turns up as a guest. Secrets are spilled and relationships rejiggered, and as the stakes for Katie’s future get higher, she must question her own assumptions about what makes for a truly meaningful life.
Sophie Kinsella is celebrated for her vibrant, relatable characters and her great storytelling gifts. Now she returns with all of the wit, warmth, and wisdom that are the hallmarks of her bestsellers to spin this fresh, modern story about presenting the perfect life when the reality is far from the truth. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Aka—Madeleine Wickham
• Birth—December 12, 1969
• Where—London, England, UK
• Education—B.A., Oxford University, M.Mus., King's College, London
• Currently—lives in London, England
Madeleine Sophie Wickham (born Madeleine Sophie Townley) is an English author of chick lit who is most known for her work under the pen name Sophie Kinsella.
Madeleine Wickham was born in London. She did her schooling in Putney High School and Sherborne School for Girls. She studied music at New College, Oxford, but after a year switched to Politics, Philosophy and Economics. She then worked as a financial journalist (including for Pensions World) before turning to fiction.
While working as a financial journalist, at the age of 24, she wrote her first novel. The Tennis Party (1995) was immediately hailed as a success by critics and the public alike and became a top ten bestseller. She went on to publish six more novels as Madeleine Wickham: A Desirable Residence (1996), Swimming Pool Sunday (1997), The Gatecrasher (1998), The Wedding Girl (1999), Cocktails for Three (2000), and Sleeping Arrangements (2001).
Her first novel under the pseudonym Sophie Kinsella (taken from her middle name and her mother's maiden name) was submitted to her existing publishers anonymously and was enthusiastically received. She revealed her real identity for the first time when Can You Keep a Secret? was published in 2005.
Sophie Kinsella is best known for writing the Shopaholic novels series, which focus on the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her own finances. The series focuses on her obsession with shopping and its resulting complications for her life. The first two Shopaholic books—Confessions of a Shopaholic (2000) and Shopaholic Takes Manhattan (2001) were adapted into a film in February 2009, with Isla Fisher playing an American Becky and Hugh Dancy as Luke Brandon. The latest addition to the Shopaholic series, Mini shopaholic came out in 2010.
Can you Keep a Secret (2004), was also published under the name Sophie Kinsella, as were The Undomestic Goddess (2006), Remember Me (2008), Twenties Girl (2009), I've Got Your Number (2012), and Wedding Night (2013). All are stand-alone novels (not part of the Shopaholic series).
A new musical adaptation by Chris Burgess of her 2001 novel Sleeping Arrangements premiered in 2013 in London at The Landor Theatre.
Personal life
Wickham lives in London with her husband, Henry Wickham (whom she met in Oxford), the headmaster of a boys' preparatory school. They have been married for 17 years and have five children. She is the sister of fellow writer, Gemma Townley. (From Wikipedia.)
Extras
Excerpts from a 2004 Barnes & Noble interview:
• "I am a serial house mover: I have moved house five times in the last eight years! But I'm hoping I might stay put in this latest one for a while.
• "I've never written a children's book, but when people meet me for the first time and I say I write books, they invariably reply, 'Children's books?' Maybe it's something about my face. Or maybe they think I'm J. K. Rowling!
• "If my writing comes to a halt, I head to the shops: I find them very inspirational. And if I get into real trouble with my plot, I go out for a pizza with my husband. We order a pitcher of Long Island Iced Tea and start talking—and basically keep drinking and talking till we've figured the glitch out. Never fails!"
• Favorite leisure pursuits: a nice hot bath, watching The Simpsons, playing table tennis after dinner, shopping, playing the piano, sitting on the floor with my two small boys, and playing building blocks and Legos.
• Least favorite leisure pursuit: tidying away the building blocks and Legos.
• When asked what book most influenced her career as a writer, here is her answer:
My earliest, most impactful encounter with a book was when I was seven and awoke early on Christmas morning to find Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in my stocking. I had never been so excited by the sight of a book—and have possibly never been since! I switched on the light and read the whole thing before the rest of my family even woke up. I think that's when my love affair with books began. (Interview from Barnes & Noble.)
Book Reviews
Katie Brennan is proof that you really can take the "country out of the girl." Born on a generations-old farm in England’s Somerset County, Katie has chucked country life for her dream life in the big city. True, she eventually returns to the farm, tail between her legs, but she’s still got her marketing savvy and design smarts—remnants of her time in London—skills that are clearly urban. Katie’s still a city girl. READ MORE.
Molly Lundquist - LitLovers
With her signature humor, bestselling author Kinsella explores the frequent disconnect between perception and reality in modern life.... [With] witty observations...this novel is smartly satirical and entertaining.
Publishers Weekly
Struggling with cranky flatmates and office politics, Katie Brenner indulges in falsely bright Instagram posts while secretly envying posh, perfect boss Demeter. Then Demeter fires her, and Katie flees London for the family farm in Somerset. The hugely best-selling Kinsella not in shopping mode.
Library Journal
Another outstanding novel...a perfect combination of fun, laughable moments rounded out with some deep-seated family and relationship issues.'
Booklist
(Starred review.) The romance is charming, but the main strength of the story is Katie and Demeter's evolving relationship. Kinsella creates characters that are well-rounded, quirky, and a complete joy to read. A delightful and charming story that will appeal to Shopaholic fans.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to start a discussion for My Not So Perfect Life...then take off on your own:
1. Describe Katie Brenner. Are there aspects of her life you relate to…as someone unsure in her job…or worried about social acceptance…or dissatisfied with the path her life has taken?
2. When Katie moves to London, she tries to erase her not so posh background, which includes altering both her name and accent. Would you describe her actions as those of a phony? Or is she a pragmatist, doing what it takes to make it in a class-conscious society?
3. What does the title suggest in terms of one of the book's central themes. How is life never quite so perfect as we would wish? Whose life is not so perfect in the novel?
4. Describe Demeter. What do you think of her? Does she remind you, say, of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada? Is she overly stereotyped, or have you known people like her?
5. When Katie leaves Cooper Clemmow, she accuses Demeter and Alex of entitlement, making the point that the trajectory of their careers was made easier by their life circumstances. Is that a fair accusation to make? Does what Katie learn later about the two of them dispell the charge of "entitlement"? Have you ever thought about your own entitlement…or your lack of it? Is there such a thing as entitlement?
6, Alex. Discuss.
7. What does Katie learn about Demeter when she comes to Anster Farm? How do her husband and children seem to relate to her…and she to them? Why does she cry as she nuzzles Carlo the horse—what are those tears about?
8. Consider the "big-sister" talk that Katie has with Coco. What do both Coco and Hal learn about their mother. What, in fact, does Katie learn about Demeter?
9. Ultimately, what does Katie learn about herself and the things that matter most in life?
10. Is My Not So Perfect Life funny? If so, what passages are particularly humorous or display Katie's witty insights?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
The Orphan Keeper
Camron Wright, 2016
Shadow Mountain Publishing
432 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781629722245
Summary
Seven-year-old Chellamuthu’s life—and his destiny—is forever changed when he is kidnapped from his village in Southern India and sold to the Lincoln Home for Homeless Children.
His family is desperate to find him, and Chellamuthu anxiously tells the Indian orphanage that he is not an orphan, he has a mother who loves him. But he is told not to worry, he will soon be adopted by a loving family in America.
Chellamuthu is suddenly surrounded by a foreign land and a foreign language. He can’t tell people that he already has a family and becomes consumed by a single, impossible question: How do I get home?
But after more than a decade, home becomes a much more complicated idea as the Indian boy eventually sheds his past and receives a new name: Taj Khyber Rowland.
It isn’t until Taj meets an Indian family who helps him rediscover his roots, as well as marrying Priya, his wife, who helps him unveil the secrets of his past, that he begins to discover the truth he has all but forgotten. Taj is determined to return to India and begin the quest to find his birth family.
But is it too late? Is it possible that his birth mother is still looking for him? And which family does he belong to now?
From the best-selling author of The Rent Collector, this is a deeply moving and gripping journey about discovering one’s self and the unbreakable family bonds that connect us forever. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Camron Wright was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has a master’s degree in Writing and Public Relations from Westminster College.
He has owned several successful retail stores, in addition to working with his wife in the fashion industry, designing for the McCall Pattern Company in New York.
Camron began writing to get out of attending MBA School at the time and it proved the better decision. Letters for Emily was a “Readers Choice” award winner, as well as a selection of the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild. In addition to North America, it was published in several foreign countries.
His book, The Rent Collector, won Book of the Year, Fiction, from ForeWord Reviews; Best Novel of the Year from the Whitney Awards; and was a nominee for the prestigious International Dublin Literary Award.
Camron lives with his wife, Alicyn, in Utah, just south of Salt Lake City, at the base of the Wasatch mountains. He is the proud father of four children. (From the author's webpagege.)
Book Reviews
Armed with a map drawn from memory, Taj returns to India to search for his birth family. Wright (The Rent Collector, 2012) turns the story of the real-life Chellamuthu/Taj into a meditation on identity and the meaning of family, and a novel that is sure to be a book club favorite.
Booklist
When I finished The Orphan Keeper I was keenly aware of the fragility associated with losing something precious then finding something of even greater value. Beautifully crafted by Camron Wright.... Like Dickens, the child in this story is subjected to loss leavened with love. Everything that happens is not fiction. It happened as written, and for a reader who waivers between agnosticism and belief, this is a story that has me — and keeps me — thinking. The loss and pain [is] described with consummate skill. The Orphan Keeper taps into questions of coincidence and belief that have kept me in a state of wonder since I reluctantly closed its covers. Amazing read.
Huffington Post
Truly a remarkable story of one young man’s journey to discover his past. Camron Wright’s fascinating novel is actually based on a true story, which makes it all the more powerful."
(four and a half out of five stars)
Portland Book Review
Fascinating novel paints a detailed picture of India far from the glamour of Bollywood, and takes the reader deep into what it means to lose a family and be transplanted into a new culture. It also details the drive of an adult to rediscover what was lost. Taj’s story entertains and touches the heart.
Washington Independent Review of Books
A deftly crafted and consistently compelling read from beginning to end. Riveting story of self-discovery and will prove to be an enduring popular addition to community library collections. Very highly recommended.
Midwest Book Review
Discussion Questions
1. The book’s dedication reads: To the lost child in all of us, searching for home. Can you relate to the plight of little lost Chellamuthu? In what ways are you also an orphan? In what ways are you an orphan keeper? Who in the story could be called an orphan keeper? Why?
2. Eli poses the question, “If a child is kidnapped from hell and carried to heaven, should we condemn the kidnapper?” How would you answer? Was Eli saving children by taking them out of poverty and abuse to give them a chance at a better life, or was he condemning them? Is there any justification for his actions?
3. It’s not unusual in India for kidnapped children to be intentionally maimed and then forced to beg on the streets in order to collect money for those caring for them. It has been argued that giving to these children encourages the practice. If you walked past such a child, would you give or refrain? Why?
4. When Taj returned to India as an adult, he remembered the orphanage as being three to four hours away from his home. If you were a kidnapped child of seven, would you have been able to gauge the distance so accurately? Why would Taj (Chellamuthu) have perhaps been more mature than the average seven-year-old American?
5. The Lincoln Home for Homeless Children was established to help poor Indian orphans find new homes. Did it lose its purpose over time? Is greed always destined to push noble aspirations aside? How can the slide to greed be prevented?
6. Linda quotes The Phoenician Women, by Euripides: “This is slavery, not to speak one’s thought.” How was Chellamuthu enslaved? How do we enslave ourselves in a similar manner?
7. It was an amazing coincidence that Priya, when first dating Taj, discovered a letter written years earlier by her own father to Fred and Linda Rowland. Later, Taj coincidentally met Vakesh, a child with whom he had played at the orphanage. Later still, as Taj drove past his unrecognizable childhood home, he would hear the hacking of coconuts, causing him to stop, listen, and remember. Do you believe in coincidence? Are our lives guided strictly by chance, or is there something more that might explain these situations?
8. Linda dreamed that Taj would marry an Indian girl, which he eventually did. How important are dreams in our lives? Can they predict the future? If yes, how is that possible?
9. When Taj saw Priya’s picture, it was love at first sight, with his instant declaration that he was going to marry her. Do you believe in love at first sight? Is it rational? Why? Why not?
10. Many Indian parents still arrange the marriages of their children. What might be the benefits of arranged marriage? What might be the drawbacks?
11. Taj eventually discovered that he was actually from a higher caste than Priya and her family. What do you know about the caste system in India? Why do you suppose it has endured for so many years? How would you respond if you were taught that you could never rise above the duties of your caste? Although we don’t follow a caste system in the United States, do socioeconomic conditions often limit our potential? What other conditions might also be limiting?
12. When Taj was desperate for help to search for his family, he begged Christopher Raj, a man he’d just met in person the day before, to take time off work, leave his family, and return to Coimbatore to assist. Christopher, with barely a hesitation, jumped on the train for another ten-hour trip to help Taj. Would you have made a similar decision for a virtual stranger? It turned out to be a choice that dramatically changed the course of Christopher’s life (and that of Taj). What lessons can be learned from Christopher’s actions? How careful should we be with our own everyday decisions and how we interact with others?
13. In the story, Arayi visits with three astrologers. The last one tells her that her son will return, and when he does, he will fly. Although the timing of this visit to this astrologer was presented in the book as having occurred shortly after Chellamuthu was taken (for the sake of pacing and plot), in real life, it occurred years later, about eight months before Taj actually returned. Do you believe there is any validity to astrology? If not, how does one explain the accuracy of the astrologer’s prediction?
14. What in the story points to the possibility that Chellamuthu’s father sold him to the orphanage? What points to the probability that his father was not involved? Does it matter? Why? Why not?
15. Taj cherishes his wife and daughters, family he would not have if he had remained in India. That said, he still feels conflicted over having been ripped from his family in India as a child. Should Taj be grateful he was kidnapped, or should he be angry?
16. In the final pages of the book, Priya talks with Taj about his father’s possible involvement in his kidnapping, as well as Taj’s ongoing angst. When Taj confides that sharing his story has helped, she notes that stories are redemptive. Is she right? What parallels can be drawn between the telling of stories and redemption?
(Questions from the author's website.)
The River at Night
Erica Ferencik, 2017
Gallery/Scout Press
304 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781501143199
Summary
A high-stakes drama set against the harsh beauty of the Maine wilderness, charting the journey of four friends as they fight to survive the aftermath of a white water rafting accident, The River at Night is a nonstop and unforgettable thriller by a stunning new voice in fiction.
Winifred Allen needs a vacation.
Stifled by a soul-crushing job, devastated by the death of her beloved brother, and lonely after the end of a fifteen-year marriage, Wini is feeling vulnerable. So when her three best friends insist on a high-octane getaway for their annual girls’ trip, she signs on, despite her misgivings.
What starts out as an invigorating hiking and rafting excursion in the remote Allagash Wilderness soon becomes an all-too-real nightmare: A freak accident leaves the women stranded, separating them from their raft and everything they need to survive. When night descends, a fire on the mountainside lures them to a ramshackle camp that appears to be their lifeline.
But as Wini and her friends grasp the true intent of their supposed saviors, long buried secrets emerge and lifelong allegiances are put to the test. To survive, Wini must reach beyond the world she knows to harness an inner strength she never knew she possessed.
With intimately observed characters, visceral prose, and pacing as ruthless as the river itself, The River at Night is a dark exploration of creatures—both friend and foe—that you won’t soon forget. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—October 21, 1958
• Where—Urbana, Illinois, USA
• Education—B.A., University of Massachusetts-Boston, M.F.A., Boston University
• Currently—lives in Boston, Massachusetts
Erica Ferencik is a Massachusetts-based novelist, screenwriter and stand-up comic. She was born in Urbana, Illinois, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in painting and French from University of Massachusetts. Later she earned her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Boston University.
Ferencik did stand-up comedy for ten years at various comedy clubs in Boston and New York and was also a material writer for David Letterman during the early years of his national late-night show.
Most recently, Ferencik is the author of The River at Night (2016), as well as Repeaters (2011), and Cracks in the Foundation (2008). Her work has appeared in Salon and the Boston Globe, as well as on National Public Radio. (From Wikipedia. Retrieved 1/20/2017.)
Book Reviews
This novel quickly becomes a dark, more-twisted-than-the-river tale of secrets as night falls in the wilderness.
Marie Claire
Author Erica Ferencik’s storytelling [is]…brutally effective…hurtling <emRiver’s harrowing narrative along in a visceral, white-knuckle rush.
Entertainment Weekly
Ferencik's debut novel is a must-read for anyone who loves high intensity thrillers. Her use of foreshadowing and flair for suspense is impeccable.... Rich imagery and attention to detail are just a few of the reasons why Ferencik is one of the best new thriller writers out there!
Romance Times Book Reviews
[An] adrenaline rush.... Set over five days, this adventure tests the women’s friendship while also depicting their resilience. Fans of John Dickey’s Deliverance will enjoy this current take on the wilderness survival tale.
Publishers Weekly
[T]his exciting survival tale...hooks from the first page, but it is the strong character development that really stands out. Wini is a compelling heroine, a flawed woman whose fears and regrets are fleshed out by flashbacks.... The friendships...are well drawn and believable. —Lynnanne Pearson, Skokie P.L., IL
Library Journal
A gal-pal vacation goes over the falls and into hell....[A]t a certain point Ferencik’s latest takes a turn for the bloody and deranged. The wilderness adventure part of this book is excellent; the heart-of-darkness horror movie in the third act less so. Still, you won’t put it down.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. “The woods on either side grew dense, impenetrable, alive with their own logic and intelligence” (page 38). Discuss how nature, specifically the woods and the river, act as a character in the novel.
2. The book opens with a quote by Henry David Thoreau. Consider the quote in relation to Simone and Dean, as well as the relationships between Pia, Rachel, Sandra, and Wini. Why do you think the author chose to start the novel with this quote?
3. Concerns about aging and the passing of time come up frequently in The River at Night. Why do you think age becomes a factor in Pia’s encounter with Rory? Why does age matter in terms of Rory’s expertise as a guide? Discuss how age plays a role in the novel and within your own lives.
4. The women use Pia and Rory’s sexual encounter to unearth some frustrations they have with one another. Discuss the strength of their bonds and how a trip like this may have forced them to reconcile previous tensions more than a less stressful vacation would have.
5. Wini, Pia, Rachel, and Sandra have long been friends—but they have strikingly different personalities. Which of the women do you relate to the most? The least? Discuss the reasons as a group.
6. On page 51, the characters learn that the river is largely on public property. Sandra goes so far as to say, “Nobody owns a river, right?” Is there an underlying message about conservation and environmentalism in the novel? Discuss what other ways a river, forest, or public park might be “owned.”
7. Wini, Rachel, Sandra, and Pia have experienced heartache in many different ways. Whose heartache do you relate to the most? The least?
8. In Chapter 7, just before the women truly commence their trip, Wini remembers her last camping experience. Discuss how the loss of her brother affects Wini’s life and how this flashback weaves its way into the rest of the novel.
9. Discuss the two major deaths in this novel. How are they different? What strikes you most about Rory’s passing? About Sandra’s? Do you think that either could have been prevented?
10. As the antagonist of the story, Simone can be seen as ruthless, deadly, and potentially crazy. One could argue, however, that Simone is just another survivor in the novel. Do you think the author means for her to be more than the villain? Why or why not?
11. “This raft—any raft—flips, and when it does, you have to be prepared. You get no warning. You need to always be ready to be upside down and in that water” (page 125). Discuss what it means to be prepared. Which of the women would you trust most to help should you find yourself lost in a similar situation? Which qualities do you believe are most necessary for surviving in the woods?
12. When the trip is over, the women attempt to get back to normalcy. Wini, however, becomes legal guardian over Dean. Does her decision surprise you?
13. Traveling with a group (or a partner) can often strengthen a friendship. Do you think the trip brought these women closer together? Why or why not?
14. Have you ever been in a situation where you say yes to something—even while feeling fearful or deeply distrustful—because you want to be part of a group? What has been the result?
15. The River at Night references loneliness many times, especially in the context of female friendships. Do you feel that the nature of your close friendships has changed over the years? If so, why, and how have you coped with these changes?
16. Fear plays a big role in this book. A natural survival mechanism, fear speeds our reaction times, energizing the muscles for a swifter escape. But what about the role of fear in modern life? Does it ever play a negative role?
17. What is your relationship with nature? Fearful, comfortable, awe-inspired, disgusted, indifferent? Has it changed over the years? If so, in what ways?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
Fever Dream
Samanta Schweblin, 2014 (Engl. trans., Megan McDowell, 2017)
Penguin Publishing
192 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780399184598
Summary
A young woman named Amanda lies dying in a rural hospital clinic.
A boy named David sits beside her. She’s not his mother. He's not her child. Together, they tell a haunting story of broken souls, toxins, and the power and desperation of family.
Fever Dream is a nightmare come to life, a ghost story for the real world, a love story and a cautionary tale.
One of the freshest new voices to come out of the Spanish language and translated into English for the first time, Samanta Schweblin creates an aura of strange psychological menace and otherworldly reality in this absorbing, unsettling, taut novel. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1978
• Where—Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Education—University of Buenos Aires
• Awards—Fondo Nacional de las Artes; Concurso Nacional Haroldo Conti; Casa de las Americas
• Currently—lives in Berlin, Germany
Samanta Schweblin was born in Buenos Aires in 1978 but now lives in Berlin, Germany. Her work has been translated into 20 different languages, and Granta named her one of the 22 best writers in Spanish under the age of 35.
Work and awards
In 2001 Schweblin was granted her first award by the Fondo Nacional de las Artes (National Fund of the Arts). In that same year, her first book "El nucleo del Disturbio" (2002) garnered her the first prize of the Concurso Nacional Haroldo Conti.(National Contest Haroldo Conti). In 2008 she obtained the prize "Casa de las Americas" for her storybook "La Furia de las pestes."
She was included in the anthologies "Quand elles se glissent dans la peau d'un homme" (2007), "Una terraza propia" 2006), "La joven guardia" (2005), and "Cuentos Argentinos" (2004), among others.
Some of her stories have been translated into English, French, Serbian, Swedish, and Dutch, and published in magazines and other cultural forums. An English translation of her story "Killing a Dog" was published in the Summer 2009 issue of the London-based quarterly newspaper The Drawbridge. (From Wikipedia. Retrieved 1/20/2017.)
Book Reviews
I picked up Fever Dream in the wee hours, and a low, sick thrill took hold of me as I read it. I was checking the locks in my apartment by page thirty. By the time I finished the book, I couldn’t bring myself to look out the windows…. [T]he genius of Fever Dream is less in what it says than in how Schweblin says it, with a design at once so enigmatic and so disciplined that the book feels as if it belongs to a new literary genre altogether.
Jia Tolentino - The New Yorker
Schweblin writes with such restraint that I never questioned a sentence or a statement. This is the power of the short novel: Stripped down to its essentials, her story all but glows. Which makes sense, after all. It's toxic.
Lily Meyer - NPR.org
A remarkable accomplishment in literary suspense.
New York Journal of Books
An absorbing and inventive tale.... Schweblin is a fine mythmaker, singular in her own fantastical artistry.
Houston Chronicle
Samanta Schweblin’s electric story reads like a Fever Dream.
Vanity Fair
Never have I ever been so afraid to read a book right before bed.
Marie Claire
[A] pulsating debut, Schweblin tells the story of Amanda, a young mother dying in a hospital, who talks to a neighborhood boy, David.... Powered by an unreliable narrator—is Amanda imagining David by her side?—Schweblin guides her reader through a nightmare scenario with amazing skill.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) [A] breath of fresh air.... The hallucinatory flow of the dialog moves the story along quickly, and readers may have to turn back to find a missing puzzle piece. Those who are willing to stay with this book will find the experience like no other and well worth the effort. —Kate Gray, Boston P.L., MA
Library Journal
(Starred review.) A taut, exquisite page-turner vibrating with existential distress and cumulative dread.... In a literary thriller of the highest order, Schweblin teases out the underlying anxieties of being vulnerable and loving vulnerable creatures and of being an inhabitant of a planet with an increasingly uncertain future.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to start a discussion for Fever Dream...then take off on your own:
1. What was your experience reading Fever Dream? What has happened—or is happening—in this book?
2. At one point, Amanda says to David, "There’s only darkness, and you’re talking into my ear. I don’t even know if this is really happening," Is the conversation really happening?
3. Why is David pushing Amanda to tell him the story? How reliable is she as a storyteller / narrator? Is she at all grounded in reality?
4. Why does David continue to mention the worms? What are the worms? What do they signify?
5. What do we learn about the state of Argentine agriculture and its impact on the surrounding citizens?
6. The novel's Spanish (and original) title is "Rescue Distance," a phrase that recurs in the novel. What does it mean? What is a safe rescue distance?
7. Can you unravel the structure of this novel—a story nestled within a story, wrapped in yet another story?
8. It has been suggested that the novel's unstable form, as well as its mood of dread and uncertainty, is a perfect reflection of the Argentinians' insecurities, particularly those who live in the countryside. Discuss the way the novel marries form to subject.
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
I Let You Go
Clare Mackintosh, 2014 (U.S., 2016)
Berkeley Books
400 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781101987506
Summary
On a rainy afternoon, a mother's life is shattered as her son slips from her grip and runs into the street...
I Let You Go follows Jenna Gray as she moves to a ramshackle cottage on the remote Welsh coast, trying to escape the memory of the car accident that plays again and again in her mind and desperate to heal from the loss of her child and the rest of her painful past.
At the same time, the novel tracks the pair of Bristol police investigators trying to get to the bottom of this hit-and-run. As they chase down one hopeless lead after another, they find themselves as drawn to each other as they are to the frustrating, twist-filled case before them.
Elizabeth Haynes, author of Into the Darkest Corner, says, "I read I Let You Go in two sittings; it made me cry (at least twice), made me gasp out loud (once), and above all made me wish I'd written it...a stellar achievement." (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1976-77
• Raised— Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
• Education—B.A., Royal Holloway University, Surrey
• Awards—Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year; Cognac Prix du Polar Best
International Novel
• Currently—lives in the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire, England
Clare Mackintosh, a former British policewoman, is the author of the thriller novels, I Let You Go (2014) and I See You (2017). The first book was a Richard & Judy book club pick, winner of Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award (beating J.K.Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith), and the Best International Novel at France's Cognac Festival Prix du Polar awards.
Education and career
After attending Aylesbury High School in Buckinghamshire, Mackintosh went to Royal Holloway University in Surrey, taking a degree in French and management. As part of her course work, she spent a year in Paris as a bilingual secretary. Upon graduation, however, she decided she wanted to enter police work. After training, she was transfered to Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds where she was promoted to town sergeant. Later, she became Thames Valley Police operations inspector for Oxfordshire. All told, Mackintosh spent 12 years in the police force
For a number of years, Mackintosh had been writing her own blog, and in 2011 she left police work to try her hand at writing full-time. She took on feature articles as a free-lancer, became a columnist for Cotswold Life, and eventually turned to fiction. After writing what she calls "a fairly mediocre chick-lit novel"—clever enough to gain her an agent but not a publisher—she realized she needed to write on a subject she knew something about: a hit-and-run accident in Oxfordshire that took the life of a young child. Some years later, Mackintosh went through her own devastating loss as a mother. Those two tragedies led her to write I Let You Go.
Personal
In 2006, Clare and her husband Rob Mackintosh became the parents of twin boys, delivered prematurely. Their son Alex contracted meningitis and died when he was a few weeks old. When her surviving son was 15 months old, Mackintosh gave birth to a second set of twins.
Mackintosh is founder and director of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival and has become patron of the Silver Star Society, a charity supporting the John Radcliffe Hospital's work with families facing difficult pregnancies. (Adapted from Wikipedia and other online sources, including Writing Magazine. Retrieved 1/17/2017.)
Book Reviews
The big plot twist in Clare Mackintosh’s first novel, I Let You Go, is genuinely shocking. The jolts that follow, right up until the last page, are pretty good too...[a] cunning psychological thriller.
Marilyn Stasio - New York Times Book Review
An intense psychological thriller…[that] revels in surprises and twists…Outstanding.
Associated Press
Thrilling…a tense psychological thriller.
Real Simple
[An] accomplished debut.... Mackintosh easily shifts points of view and keeps readers on their toes, slowly upping the suspense, so that when she does reveal her twists they—mostly—work.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) [A] complex tale out of seemingly straightforward circumstances.... This UK best seller is a wonderfully layered thriller that skillfully builds from that one tragic event.... Highly recommended. —Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI
Library Journal
(Starred review.) Mackintosh, a former U.K. deputy inspector, delivers an accurate portrayal of a typical police investigation.... [E]xcellent writing...memorable characters and a compelling portrayal of the eccentricities of small-town life....the kind of book that sticks in the reader's mind well after the final sentence.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. How does the title, I Let You Go, link to the themes in the novel?
2. The author of I Let You Go is a former police officer. Do you think this is evident in the storytelling?
3. How does the author pull the wool over the reader’s eyes in preparation for the first major twist? How did you feel when you reached it?
4. Discuss the relationship between Ray and Kate.
5. Some of the scenes in I Let You Go present a high level of violence. Are these sections hard to read? Are they necessary for the story? Why did the author include them?
6. The ending is intentionally ambiguous: what do you think happened at the end of the story, and do you think it was the right ending? How would you have resolved the story?
7. What does the future hold for Jenna?
(Questions from the author's website.)