Homelessness, mental illness, hunger, unreliable narrators, The Great Gatsby, and author cheating permeated our discussion of The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian. After a friendly session of chatting, we turned low-key and thoughtful. We were divided about the book, but in agreement about the seriousness of its subject.

Our first responder spoke for his wife, who found reading The Double Bind tedious.  Several members agreed.  Others of us found it unengaging, until the second half, when we became curious about its resolution. One noted that the novel lacked the humor, passion, or warmth that have driven other selections.  Most were completely surprised by the twist at the end and one member said she re-read the last chapter, thinking that she must have fallen asleep and missed something! One member actually felt punched; another was angered, feeling that the author had not given enough clues, writing as if from the perspective of real characters who turned out to be entirely imagined.

Yet still, we know that the imagined is completely real to the person with mental illness, which is how the story felt to us as well. One member shared that he had spent some time “hoboing” and that resources are available; yet how do you solve the problem of homelessness, especially when mental illness makes a person unable to fit into the rules and regulations of communal life? We discussed the need for asylums and the abuse that abolished them.  Shelters, food pantries, military veterans, PTSD: people walk, even in our Las Vegas heat, miles and miles. One member mentioned his high regard for the Las Vegas Rescue Mission as we discussed how hard it is to make a difference in the midst of so much need and so much fraud.

We all agreed that the imagined Great Gatsby connection was fascinating and well done. One of us had read The Great Gatsby just before The Double Bind and another had been a nurse in a psychiatric facility and had been fascinated by the accuracy. One member noted that both were stories of broken people trying to reinvent themselves.

As we closed the discussion, we considered the meaning of the title, The Double Bind, and wondered if the author intended to suggest bad parenting as a part of the narrator’s problem. Many of us laughed as someone suggested that the book should have been called Catch 22.

I was especially impressed that the author commented on our Whitney Library Facebook page when we advertised our meeting and book choice:  “Why thank you so much. Best part of the novel? Bob Campbell’s remarkable photographs.”

It’s truly a small world, imagined or not. It’s never too late to join the discussion!

• Other Works Discussed:
• A Beautiful Mind (Book 1998 and Movie)  Sylvia Nash
• Shelter (2016 Movie)
• The Great Gatsby (1925) F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Yellow Birds (2012) Kevin Powers
• The Language of Flowers (2011) Vanessa Diffenbaugh (not mentioned but related)
• Play Dead (2007) David Rosenfelt

A Tale for the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki, had been on my reading list for quite a while. Our book club members enjoy being entertained, but they also want to be challenged and to experience new perspectives, and A Tale for the Time Being offered both:   it concerned a teenager in Japan, her Buddhist grandmother, and a writer in Canada. 

The topics covered in A Tale for the Time Being are definitely challenging – bullying, suicide, prostitution, environmental decay, and even quantum physics! However, I was still surprised to find that the majority at the meeting did not like the book, and a couple of members had been unable to get past the first 30 or 40 pages.

The ending was confusing and perhaps too easy–solved by a dream. Some readers found the writing tedious. The bullying in the story was disturbing to everyone and a few found it hard to believe.  We had a good discussion about bullying in stories throughout history, and one member mentioned the classic example of Lord of the Flies.

We also discussed suicide and the different role that culture and religion – Christianity vs. Buddhism – plays in the higher than average suicide rate in Japan. We would need to know more to be able to answer this question. The father was actually fined for the cost of his attempted suicide. And as life meets art, one member told us how the attempted suicide on our local freeway a few days ago had impacted thousands. Another noted that the decision to commit suicide led Nao and her uncle both to appreciate life more fully.

We discussed how the “supapawa” concept was similar to the belief in the power of a positive attitude or the law of attraction. But somehow the idea of developing a superpower was so much more empowering to me. It wasn’t just attitude, it was imagination.

As often is the case, we noted the biographical similarities between the story and the author, who lives in British Columbia and New York, has a Japanese mother, and is a Soto Zen priest. Does this make the story any more believable, accessible, authoritative? Our concern for the characters, especially Nao, makes it important to some of us.

We only referred to one question from the official discussion questions.  Did we think the narrative opening of Nao writing to an unknown reader was successful? Although we disagreed here, one member noted how she felt that she was listening, even if her answers weren’t heard. Another felt that the journal writing was to fill a need to communicate, as if to a friend. We spoke of many things, all relevant. The book is filled with so much and I wonder if we had followed more of the questions if we might have delved deeper, almost as if into Pandora’s box! The meeting seemed to fly by – time is relative, even in English.

We ate Japanese rice cakes, Hello Kitty chocolate marshmallow candies, and drank Blue Mountain Blend coffee as we discussed. It’s exciting to me to find choices tied to the readings. I always hope that the new tastes will help us solidify the memory.

I opened the meeting by reflecting on the various languages in the book. Japanese is a culture steeped in metaphor and I mentioned one researcher who specifically noted how different languages can change cognitive abilities and even understanding of time.[i] I also showcased some of the books and movies that can perhaps be more accessible in helping to understand some of the concepts covered in the book. In the end, I asked if anyone else had found the book uplifting.  Smiles and some nodding heads. Language. Communication takes many forms.

• Other works discussed:
• Bully (2011) Documentary DVD
• Shall We Dance (1996) DVD English subtitled
• The Wind Rises (2013) Sprited Away (2001) DVD Miyazaki
• Whisper of the Heart (2006) DVD Studio Ghibli
• The Ocean at the end of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
• The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

[i] Moxley, Mitch. “Can Language Influence Our Perception of Reality?   .” Slate Magazine. Graham Holdings Company, June 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.  http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/uc/2014/06/can_language_influence_our_perception_of_reality.html

Despite the holiday season and its many competing activities, we had a great turn out for the Nevada Reads discussion of We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride. We started at six to make sure we had some fun and socializing—with cookies, fruit, nuts, and holiday punch—and most everyone arrived for the early start! The room was filled with chatter and even during the discussion, we at times had competing discussions across the four tables!

Everyone seemed to like the book, even those who couldn’t attend; when we discussed how the conclusion was contrived and unlikely, the consensus seemed to be that the Hallmark ending was deserved, necessary. Sometimes we don’t want realistic; we want possibilities.  This, of course, led to a discussion of the title, We Are Called to Rise, which was taken from an Emily Dickinson poem quoted at the beginning of the book. The narrators of the book were called to rise and they did!

This is an interesting concept for this particular book, because the core is based on an incident that really did occur in Henderson in 2008. Even though I know that most fiction is based on truth – people and experiences known by the author – changing this recognizable event seemed dangerous, unfair to the actual participants.

Yet for our group, the familiarity is the greatest strength of the novel. It is relatable; locations are recognizable; unlike CSI Las Vegas, street names are not changed. One member considers this the most honest story about Las Vegas she has ever read. Another believes the four narrators’ perspectives give it depth.

Beyond this core, we had some great observations. The broken marriage, lingerie drawer, and gun hooked us from the beginning. One patron brought to our attention how the healing power of touch runs throughout the story. We argued about whether Avis is weak or in denial about her abusive son. One member shared a story about her experience on a police ride-along to a territorial fight between ice cream trucks, including a gun, a knife, and the successful intervention of a young bystander.  We discussed police abuse of power, including domestic violence; the effects of the loss of a child, still impacting Avis after 30 years and the impact it had on her son’s behavior—competing with a ghost; the isolation of immigrants; modern and former wars; children writing to soldiers.

We realized that we shouldn’t generalize, but our group is diverse and offers experience from years as parents, health care workers, educators, lawyers, and more. I hope all felt able to share their view. With such a large group, sometimes I wonder.  If you have more to share, or would like to include something I missed, please join the discussion!

• Other works discussed:
• The Dinner by Herman Koch
• The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
• The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

I opened the meeting a little early, discussing changes in libraries, e-books, and more. Meetings like our book club enable us to get out and socialize, exercise our brains, and are fairly well accepted as a traditional library function. But things change. We have movie showings and discussions, music performances, and pretty soon we will be offering a Brain Power Club and Painting Parties for Adults – activities geared to showcase the resources available at our library. Although I didn’t start this discussion, I was happy to have a chance to emphasize that libraries have changed and will probably keep changing – we hope for the better, but we appreciate and need input from our patrons.

We seemed to agree that Play Dead by David Rosenfelt was light-weight –  easy to read, funny, with an interesting, complex plot. This book is the sixth in a series and one member read books one through five first – in just the last month! She felt that Play Dead was the weakest she had read and that much of the character development came throughout the book series and couldn’t be appreciated in just one book. Another member recommended the audio book because the reader spoke with intonation that brought out the humor more fully. She also felt that the self-deprecating remarks and frivolity served to misdirect the reader and keep the mystery and plot development interesting. The title Play Dead should have been a dead give away to the solution, but most of us were still surprised.

We liked the details of lawyering, even though the author is not a former lawyer, and the idea of going to the shelter to look for clients made us laugh out loud. Could plastic surgery really make a beautiful woman unrecognizable? Who identified the dead body? What about Marcus? It’s really the type of book where you have to suspend your disbelief, or perhaps just go with the flow. We discussed the importance of a distracting, easy read, and even if we started to question some of the details, isn’t that part of the distraction? Nothing too gory, too bleak, or too crude.

Our discussion included mention of a lot of other books. We didn’t have any prepared questions for review. We bantered back and forth, talking about authors we liked and a lot of us seem to like mysteries, especially funny and non-violent ones.

• Other works discussed:
• Robert Parker’s Spenser series
• Janet Evanovich
• J.A. Jance
• Spencer Quinn’s Dog Detective stories
• Harlen Coben
• Anthony Horowitz
• Dashiell Hammett (Classic)
• Edgar Allen Poe
• Wilkie Collins
• Mark Twain

Our meeting was lively, filled with chatter and energy. Before the meeting, as we gathered our snacks, we discussed Australian food, science experiments, and our next book. There was a lull as I asked who wanted to be the first responder; the silence was palpable, oddly wary. But then one member said that he hadn’t liked The Husband’s Secret at first. He found it hard to follow and it seemed to him that they were just talking in the book because they’re women! Sixteen women and three men all laughed – and we were off!

In the end, he really did like the book, and despite any flaws we later discussed, everyone seemed to agree. It was crafted, interlocking storylines like a picture puzzle. One member thought at first that it was a collection of short stories. Several of us had trouble following the characters, though by the end we’d figured it out. The author seemed like a psychologist. It was a character study with a weak plot. Was anyone else annoyed that Tess went back to her husband? The importance of and love for children was the most notable element of the novel. Rachel’s accident seemed contrived. How could John-Paul possibly misplace such a letter? Why would he write it? Why didn’t he address it to Rachel? Maybe he wanted to be caught! He was just a teenager. A teenager is old enough to know what he does. We didn’t forgive him.

We all found something that resonated – the love for our grandchildren, children, and parents; regrets for our failures. We of course discussed secrets. The secrets in the book seemed self-indulgent. Even as we all chatted, sometimes with shushing going around as well, we had long moments of reflection. The writing was easy to read, and one member found it particularly striking in comparison to last month’s Sherlock Holmes novel. No one found the writing particularly beautiful, but themes were memorable, such as “ignorance is bliss.”

When I read the book, I found it interesting enough to keep me reading, but I found it shallow, like every random thought in my own head was being put down on paper without any answers. The popularity of the book (16,136 reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars!) astounded me and I was a little concerned about how the discussion would go. After the discussion, however, I feel a fondness for the book, for the enthusiasm and chatter it aroused. Each book has its place, its value. And each of us, too!

• Other works discussed:
• Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
• Crash (2005) DVD
• Defending Jacob by William Landay
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
• Sacred Clowns by Tony Hillerman