DISUK Book Club -Too Close to Home, Linwood Barclay

[natalielongstaff]

thanks Libby xx

 

[Dimplenose]

The poll was pretty indecisive so I've decided to keep the original book for July (The price of love by Nikola T.James) as people may already have purchased it.

 

[natalielongstaff]

Ive finished reading " Lucky" im looking forward to the discussion

 

[Dimplenose]

I'm going to have to do some rapid reading this weekend. I started ages ago, but I'm finding it rather a chore to read.

Discussions should start on Wednesday.

 

[irongirlof12]

I am near the end of 'Lucky'.

 

[natalielongstaff]

I'm going to have to do some rapid reading this weekend. I started ages ago, but I'm finding it rather a chore to read.

Discussions should start on Wednesday.

I lent my copy to Joh so i expect she may chip in with her views on the book

 

[dolphingirl47]

I finished the book on the drive down to Southampton on Friday.

Corinna

 

[Dimplenose]

It's now time to discuss the book "Lucky".

I'll come clean and say that I haven't finished the book. I'll be interested to see what everyone else felt about it and I may well go on and finish it, but at the moment these are my thoughts:-

I read books mostly to escape from reality. Maybe to put myself in someone elses shoes but mainly for esacapism. I do read biographies so why have I had problems with this book?

I'm not sure. At first I was uncomfortable with the graphic description of the rape. Then I just didn't like the style of writing or the main character - but then I remembered that she wasn't a character but a real person who had lived through these experiences so then I felt guilty about my feelings.

Maybe the book gets better - just saying that throws me back into guilt mode as it isn't just a book it's a life that needs to get better. I don't want to spend my reading time feeling guilty, but now I feel guilty that I haven't done this woman the honour of finishing her account - such a little thing to do after what she went through.

Sorry for the ramblings, please post your reviews.

 

[irongirlof12]

I have read all of alice Seabold's novels and they are all quite harrowing to read. ( The lovely bones and almost) I quite like her style of writing.

I found her graphic description of her rape quite harrowing and quite difficult to read. She went into so much detail, i also thought that it was quite poignant how the police report could have fitted onto half a side.

She talks quite a lot about her difficult family relationships and her attitude to relationships afterward the rape which must have been very tough to write, especially the breakdown of her friendship with Lila and the circumstances which led to that.

 

[wilma-bride]

I am inclined to agree with some of your sentiments, Libby. Although I actually read the book from cover to cover within a couple of days, I can't say that I really enjoyed it, if that makes sense. I also found that I didn't really like the character (even though, like you say, she was a real person). Although I assume the idea of the book was to show how she coped with the rape and her feelings, I felt, at times, as though she was trying to court sympathy - which, of course, is not necessary as anyone can, I think, sympathise with such an awful experience.

I also found the ending very unbelieveable (and, again, I felt a bit guilty for thinking that) but it seemed really strange to me that her best friend was raped too - talk about lightning striking twice. It really spoiled the book for me and, to be honest, I wish she hadn't included it - presumably it was included to show the comparison between how she coped and how her friend did but I felt that she made her friend out to be a wimp just because she wasn't as strong, if that makes sense.

I am rambling now so I will shut up and let someone else have a say

 

[joolz1910]

I agree with Joh and Libby. I found myself not liking Alice Sebold. I thought she was terribly judgemental of Lila and the subtext was definitely an implicit criticism of her friend's refusal to pursue the rapist through the judicial system. I thought that Sebold had interpreted Lila's rape as being all about her, yet it could easily have been an awful coincidence.

I found the description of the rape very difficult to read, but I think it really brought home the viciousness and cruelty of rape, so in that sense it was effective - if that is the right word.

I preferred The Lovely Bones.

 

[natalielongstaff]

I finished the book, whilst i didnt dislike alice i was very dissapointed in how she wrote the last section of the book.

I felt she glossed over a lot of her recovery and i would think it would be more helpful to explain how she fully overcame her trauma and not just concentrated on how she felt her friend let her down

 

[Dimplenose]

I've been trying to work out why I disliked Alice in the book. I agree with Joh that she was courting sympathy.

It wasn't the sympathy as a rape victim that irritated me (she deserved sympathy for that) but the way she went on at length about her parents lack of physical contact.

My parents divorced when I was a teenager and I don't remember any closeness between them when I was younger but I didn't really thnk it odd (until I read this book!) it was just the way it was.

It's obvious that a personal account is going to be self centred but everyone involved with her needed to deal with her rape in their own way and she seemed very critical that they should want do this. I've only read half the book but from previous comments it seems that she carries on in this vein.

I'm going to try to finish this book but I don't think I'll be reading any of her other books.

 

[joolz1910]

I thought she was very dismissive of others. She didn't seem to like anyone in the book. Everyone was side-swiped with a cutting remark or description. She seemed a bit of an intellectual snob at times too.

I agree with others that she deserved sympathy, but she was definitely not a sympathetic 'character', if you know what I mean.

 

[natalielongstaff]

I agree with others that she deserved sympathy, but she was definitely not a sympathetic 'character', if you know what I mean.

that sums her up perfectly Juliette !

 

[dolphingirl47]

I did read the book and read it from cover to cover. I was very surprised that the description of the actual rape did not bother me at all. I did not think it was all that graphic. However, the scenes in the hospital were my undoing. This part made me literally sick to the stomach.

I would not say that I enjoyed the book. The subject matter and knowing that this is somebody's real story kind of precluded this. I am glad though that I read it. I am probably the only one feeling like this, but I did like Alice. I did not much like her family though.

I don't think that it is fair to say that she had not anything good to say about any of the characters in the book. Mary Alice, Tess and the female prosecutor were all shown in a very positive light.

What I really hated about the book was the last chapter. It was almost like an afterthought and I think the book would have been much better if it had ended with Alice embarking on her post-graduate course.

Corinna

 

[natalielongstaff]

What I really hated about the book was the last chapter. It was almost like an afterthought and I think the book would have been much better if it had ended with Alice embarking on her post-graduate course.

Corinna

totally agree, it felt very rushed !

 

[Pinky166]

I just wanted to say that I tried to read this book but just couldn't get in to it. I have had so much going on at the moment that I have struggled to read anything so maybe I will try again at a later date.

 

[Dimplenose]

I've been wondering if I'd have enjoyed this book more if it had been a totally fictional account.

I think I would have. Obviously the description of the rape would have still been hard to read but not as horrowing if I knew it was "just a story". I also think my dislike of the main character would have been less guilt-riddled.

What does anyone else think?

 

[dolphingirl47]

For me it probably had not changed anything. Even if the account and the character had been entirely fictional, I would still have read it knowing that somewhere in the world a woman is probably going through exactly the same scenario or one very similar.

Corinna