Friday, April 19, 2013

Typical Book Group Report - 12

Last night, 9 members of The Typical Book Group got together to talk about What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.  All but one of us finished it.  The one who hadn't still didn't know who Gina was, which was really the biggest question for the reader. 

We talked a lot (predictably, I suppose) about what we were doing 10 years ago, and what it would be like to forget these last 10 years, as Alice did.  We agreed that it seemed more like Alice forgot 15 or maybe even 20 years, rather than just 10.  Her oldest daughter, who was only 9 or 10 in the story, acted more like our teenage daughters, and it was a little unrealistic that their economic status would change so much so quickly without a lottery ticket or an inheritance.

One thing that we didn't discuss was Alice's muscle memory.  I really liked how even though Alice didn't recognize her purse, her hands knew where to look for her makeup and how to apply it.  Her body also reminded Alice that she had learned to depend upon coffee, even though she hadn't been a coffee drinker before she had kids.  Obviously, this is fiction, but it seems realistic that one's body would just automatically go through the morning's routines, even if one's mind didn't remember what to do first.

We agreed that we liked What Alice Forgot, but that it slowed down after the first 100 pages. 

A few months ago, we discussed The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.  The Pulitzer people just announced the 2013 winners, and I was surprised to hear that The Snow Child was a finalist.  I guess we are more discerning readers than we realized!

Next month we'll read Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt.

Still Reading:  The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes

Almost Done Listening to:  Ines of my Soul by Isabel Allende

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