Original Ideas

[becke_davis]

One thing I will say about this book -- whether you like it or not, it is an original. So many books seem to have been based on the same outline, whether it's the characters or the plot.

I can't think of any book I've read recently that reminds me at all of this one. What about you?

[teenyo04]

I agree that it is original but not in the story. I would say it is original in the way it is written. First person that murders their mother and narrates while it happens. The Lovely Bones is along the same idea and Sebold has definitely set herself apart from other writers.

[suetu]

Nope, I can't say it reminded me of anything else I've read lately/ever. Sebold likes to go to those really dark, uncomfortable places that make most of us (including other writers) squirm.

Meanwhile, awful quiet around here. I'm surprised more folks haven't been interested in joining this discussion. But you're doing a good job, Becke, keeping your end up.

[IBIS]

I had every intention of finishing ALMOST MOON. The book is lying on my dresser, with my bookmark on page 50. It feels as if the book stares balefully at me everytime I pass it by.

Next to it lie several other books which I grab whenever I read before going to bed. I can't make myself reach for ALMOST MOON.

I squirm every time I think about Helen. Certain books are just too dark. Or too uncomfortable. Or something.

I may finish it someday, but not right now. Not now when I'm surrounded by the holiday spirit.

IBIS

[becke_davis]

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suetu wrote:
Nope, I can't say it reminded me of anything else I've read lately/ever. Sebold likes to go to those really dark, uncomfortable places that make most of us (including other writers) squirm.

Meanwhile, awful quiet around here. I'm surprised more folks haven't been interested in joining this discussion. But you're doing a good job, Becke, keeping your end up.

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It is pretty quiet. I wonder if it's because this book is so dark and with the holidays coming, people want to focus on something more uplifting. What do you think?

[readerlaurie]

I have been watching this board and am too surprised by how little conversation this book brought up. I finished it a week or so ago. In fact, I could barely put it down. That said, I did not like it. It was very uncomfortable. Like watching a trainwreck and lots of people are dying, but you can do nothing to help stop the carnage. I just kept hoping that Helen would wake up out of a bad dream and realize that not only had she killed her mother, but she had dragged other innocent people into the fray. It was way too dark of a book for right before the holidays, especially Thanksgiving, where we give thanks for all of the wonderful things that we have in life. Probably not the best choice for the November discussion.

[becke_davis]

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readerlaurie wrote:
I have been watching this board and am too surprised by how little conversation this book brought up. I finished it a week or so ago. In fact, I could barely put it down. That said, I did not like it. It was very uncomfortable. Like watching a trainwreck and lots of people are dying, but you can do nothing to help stop the carnage. I just kept hoping that Helen would wake up out of a bad dream and realize that not only had she killed her mother, but she had dragged other innocent people into the fray. It was way too dark of a book for right before the holidays, especially Thanksgiving, where we give thanks for all of the wonderful things that we have in life. Probably not the best choice for the November discussion.

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I didn't like the way it ended. I thought the beginning was kind of intriguing but by the end I thought Helen was a train wreck, and that she was going to pull a lot of people down with her. Frustrating!