Today is the discussion day for our Read With Us summer book, The Friend by Sigrid Nunez.
Kym, Carole,
and I are each posting a discussion question or two on our blogs today,
and you are welcome to respond in the comments. I would also encourage
you to reply to others' comments if you choose. This is a book
discussion, after all, so there are no correct answers or right
opinions. I've been looking forward to discussing this book. I'll make a confession; this was not my favorite book, but I don't know of a better bunch of people for a book
discussion than all of you.
Here are my questions: There is little in The Friend when it comes to drama; it's
primarily a study of character and an exploration of ideas. Would more
action have made a difference to you in terms of how you experienced the
book? Nunez also includes a large number of quotations and stories from
the works of writers. Are they well integrated into the novel? Did you
enjoy them or find them distracting?
I'll
be glad to share my thoughts about these questions tonight during our
Zoom discussion. These questions on our blogs and the Zoom discussion
are your chance to express your ideas. So what do you think?
I can't wait to hear your thoughts! (And I'm counting on our discussion
to give me fresh perspectives in my own thinking about this novel.)
The in-person Zoom discussion will be at 7:00 pm Eastern this evening.
If you haven't RSVP'd to Kym already you can send me an email (the
email address is in the upper right) and I will make sure you get an
invitation with the Zoom link. I hope to see you there!
I normally don't mind this kind of quiet, interior book, but I listened to it, which I don't think was the best format; perhaps I would have enjoyed it more had I read it with my eyes. I have a feeling it's not going to be among our group's favorites, but I may well be proved wrong! I am hoping to join you all for at least part of the discussion -- I may have to listen in for the first half or so while I take Ruthie out and get her settled, but I will join for sure to discuss after that.
ReplyDeleteI also listened to the book, and I think that was part of the reason I didn't connect with it. I'm not sure that I have enjoyed a book that was written entirely interiorly, but with this book I discovered that I'm not a fan of stream-of-consciousness writing. We'll see you after you take care of your own dog!
DeleteI am not sure what "action" could have been added and have it "work" in this book. The first time I read the book, I remember being quite distracted by all the "other writer stuff" in the book, this time I just ignored all of that and tried to stay focused on the "why" of those author/quote things being added in. Sometimes... it made sense... most times, it did not. I think Nunez picked an incredibly challenging topic to write about... the suicide of a loved friend. I think grief is a complex thing... and it is made even more complicated when you explore deeply your feelings for the person. And then, to make things even a bit more complicated... she added in this Great Dane that becomes a part of that grief process. (which I thought was very wise, I do believe animals grieve.) If you could not tell, I did not much care for the book... but I think that this book will be fascinating to discuss. (However, I could be wrong about that! We shall see!)
ReplyDeleteI started looking up some of the authors that were mentioned because I wasn't familiar with them, but that just further interfered with my ability to connect with the book. And like you said, some of the quotes seemed out of place or didn't make sense to me. I also agree that grief due to suicide is a really difficult thing - both the undergo that grief and to attempt to write about it.
DeleteBoth the book and the movie bored me. As Carole mentioned in her blog post - and I agree with her - the movie is much more about the dog. But not enough for me to enjoy it. I don't even remember the quotes in the book which I think says a lot!
ReplyDeleteThis book was not my favorite either but I did like the movie. Thanks for giving both the book and movie a try!
DeleteWell, first off . . . I love this book. But, then, I also love stream-of-consciousness writing WHEN it's done well. (And Sigrid Nunez does it really well.) I think it just . . . matches up with my self-reflective and meandering brain (or something like that). Anyway. I think the quotes and stories from other writers help readers understand the thoughtful nature of the narrator . . . in terms of sorting through her relationship not only with her work and the craft of writing over her long career, but also reviewing the nature of her relationship with "her friend." So, to me, they were very appropriately included. If readers are just looking for "action," though, I would imagine they might be quite bored.
ReplyDeleteI think the most appealing thing about the book . . . is the fresh perspective it provides on grieving a long and meaningful (and mostly) platonic friendship, grieving someone you love when there is no chance of real closure (in this case, with a suicide), and . . . the entire dog connection (grief, support, friendship).
It's a complicated book -- with a lot to discuss.
I think I just don't like stream-of-consciousness writing because the book was not my favorite. I looked up many of the authors because I wasn't familiar with them, and this fragmented the book even further for me. So, I wasn't exactly looking for action but I think I do much better with a more straightforward type of book. After thinking about it for several weeks, I do think that it provided a good portrayal of grief, and I especially appreciated the idea of grieving for a close friend when there are so many unanswered questions.
DeleteI loved this book, especially how the author used quotes & stories from other authors to explore the narrator's grief and thoughts on friendship. It really caused me to reflect deeply on these things in my own life. I did enjoy the movie, but loved the book even more on this 2nd read!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you loved the book and it even held up to a second reading! I wasn't a big fan, but that's mainly due to the stream-of-consciousness style it was written it. I'm not sure the quotes from other authors added to the story; I think they served to fragment it further for me. But I did appreciate the exploration of grief and I loved the movie!
DeleteMaybe that was it. I didn't really like it and maybe it was the lack of action. All the quotes and stories seemed confusing to me at times as I was trying to figure stuff out.
ReplyDelete