DISUK Book Club -Too Close to Home, Linwood Barclay

[wilma-bride]

I am reading Nineteen Minutes at the moment and can't wait to start discussing it. My copy has loads of Book Club questions at the end. Does anybody else's? That should help with the discussion as well.

Corinna

yes mine too, i read it ages ago as well

Nat, technically, isn't that my copy

 

[natalielongstaff]

Nat, technically, isn't that my copy

Well technically yes, but whats yours is mine hun

 

[Dimplenose]

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

I've just finished this in time to start off the discussions. I know that Corinna and Natalie have some questions so I'll just start with a quick report on my thoughts on the book.

As with most Jodi Piccoult books I found the style of writing very readable. It wasn't a gripping book but quite entertaining. I don't know if I've read too many depressing books lately or whether it was the way it was written but I didn't find myself horrified by the acts decribed here.

At first I found the number of different characters' stories quite hard to follow and found myself most closely following Josie's story and then Peter's. I hate to say this but it was almost a relief when she finished off Matt.

The adults in this story were more likable than those in "We must talk about Kevin."

The part that really rankled was ending the story with Alex's pregnancy. Maybe I'd "bonded" too much with Josie but it almost felt like betrayal after everything that had happened especially Alex's realisation that she hadn't spent enough time with her daughter. (I'm pretty sure that this is not the first time Picoult has finished off a story with a new baby.)

 

[dolphingirl47]

First of all, I never would have considered to read a Jodi Picoult book on my own accord. When the list was published, I still wondered if I should sit this one out. It was only once I realised that she also wrote My Sister's Keeper, which I really want to see, that I figured I should give it a go.

Well, I absolutely loved it. I literally could not put the book down. The characters were well drawn and I really felt for them. Even though Peter in this book and Kevin in the first book committed the same crime, I felt much more empathy for Peter. I also liked Lacy as a character.

I was a little surprised that the book seemed to focus more on Alex and Josie then on Peter and his family. It was only at the end of the book that it became clear why that is the case.

There is two things about the book that I did not like. I would have loved to read about the reaction to Peter's suicide. How did his family feel? How did they react? What effect did this have on them? I also would have liked to read something about Josie's trial. She was such a central character throughout the book. It just did not sit right with me that her trial was covered only as a side note.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

I will post the first discussion question later this afternoon.

Corinna

 

[DebIreland]

Hi everyone,

Is it okay if I join the book club? I read Nineteen Minutes a few months ago (I love some Jodi Picoult books). Would love to join the discussion.

Deb

 

[natalielongstaff]

Hi everyone,

Is it okay if I join the book club? I read Nineteen Minutes a few months ago (I love some Jodi Picoult books). Would love to join the discussion.

Deb

its open to anyone Deb, we would love to hear your views

 

[dolphingirl47]

Hi everyone,

Is it okay if I join the book club? I read Nineteen Minutes a few months ago (I love some Jodi Picoult books). Would love to join the discussion.

Deb

Hi Deb,
welcome. I am looking forward to reading what you thought about the book.

Corinna

 

[DebIreland]

its open to anyone Deb, we would love to hear your views

Hi Deb,
welcome. I am looking forward to reading what you thought about the book.

Corinna

Thanks Natalie and Corinna. Looking forward to it.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Right, here is the first discussion question from the book:

Alex and Lacy's friendship comes to an end when they discover Peter and Josie playing with guns in the Houghton house. Wht does Alex decide that it is in Josie's best interest to keep her daughter away from Peter? What significance is there to the fact that Alex is the first one to prevent Josie from being friends with Peter?

 

[Dimplenose]

Right, here is the first discussion question from the book:

Alex and Lacy's friendship comes to an end when they discover Peter and Josie playing with guns in the Houghton house. Wht does Alex decide that it is in Josie's best interest to keep her daughter away from Peter? What significance is there to the fact that Alex is the first one to prevent Josie from being friends with Peter?

I looked at this incident as a trigger (no pun intended) for Peter's dad to start teaching him about guns rather than anything else.

Analysing it now, I'm surprised that Alex doesn't give Lacy and Peter a second chance - maybe this would have been tha natural point for their friendship to wane anyway as friendships do change as people's lives go in different directions.

I'm sure if Alex was that concerned about Peter and Josie being together she could have moved her to a different (maybe private) school.

 

[wilma-bride]

I thought it was more of an excuse than anything else. As a Mother, I think she felt they were becoming too close and I certainly got the impression they felt they were 'a cut above the rest' (if that makes sense).

I agree, Libby, that it was definitely a trigger - let's face it, you could probaably say that none of the rest of it would have happened had it not been for that defining incident.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Alex and Lacy's friendship comes to an end when they discover Peter and Josie playing with guns in the Houghton house. Wht does Alex decide that it is in Josie's best interest to keep her daughter away from Peter? What significance is there to the fact that Alex is the first one to prevent Josie from being friends with Peter?

I did not see this as a significant event in terms of what happened later at all. I saw it more as a defining moment in Alex and Josie's relationship. Alex initially did not want Josie, but changed her mind. I think in this moment, she realised just how much she loves Josie and that she could lose her at any time. I think Alex just got scared and that is why she stopped Josie from playing with Peter after school. I don't think that this had any further influence on what happened later. This incident did not end the friendship between Peter and Josie either. They still were close at school until Josie started to develop into a different direction.

I also don't really see a problem in Peter's father showing him how to safely handle a gun. I think given Peter's obvious interest in guns, this was a responsible thing to do. I see him taking Peter on a hunting trip in the same light. He realized that Peter was fascinated by guns and decided to give him the chance to use them in a controlled and supervised environment. As Peter clearly did not enjoy hunting, I don't think anybody could have foreseen that he would go into the school and shoot other students.

The only significance that I see in those events is that it was Peter who showed Josie the gun and it was Peter's gun that Josie ultimately used to shoot Matt.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

As I am on the late shift tonight, I will post the next question now:

Alex has often trouble separating her roles as a judge and a mother. How does this affect her relationship with Josie? Discuss whether or not Alex's job is more important to her than being a mother.

 

[Dimplenose]

Alex has often trouble separating her roles as a judge and a mother. How does this affect her relationship with Josie? Discuss whether or not Alex's job is more important to her than being a mother.

I'm not sure that she thought her role as a judge was more important, it just defined who she was - I don't think Alex ever stopped being a judge she just tried to fit motherhood in as best she could. I certainly understand her mistake tin thinking hat there would always be times to do things with her child forgetting just how quickly she'd grow up. She seemed to deal with her judge's responsibilities immediately and left Josie on her "to do" list.

 

[Dimplenose]

bump

 

[dolphingirl47]

I will post another question tonight when I get back from work (about 22:00)

Corinna

 

[wilma-bride]

I don't think Alex's job was more important to her than being a mother, I think she just struggled to juggle both and seemed to get her priorities a little wrong. I think, Libby, you hit the nail on the head when you say that Josie was left on her 'to do' list as something to deal with later.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I don't know if Alex' dedication to her job really affects the relationship. It is very obvious throughout the book that Alex deeply cares about Josie. She only took the job as a judge, because she thought this would guarantee more regular hours and allowing her to spend more time with Josie. Unfortunately this did not work out this way. I think the relationship that they have is pretty typical for a relationship between a teenage girl and her mother. When she heard that there had been a shooting at the school, she leaves court straight away to make sure that Josie is OK.

I don't think that her job is more important to Alex than her daughter. For Alex as a single mum with no support at all from Josie's father, having a job is no choice, but a necessity. The fact that she enjoys her job and that she is good at it does not change this.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

A theme throughout the novel is the idea of masks and personas, and pretending to be someone you are not. To which characters does this apply and why?