Book Club for Introverts discussion

Here's the place to talk about chapters 13-15. Please don't spoil it for others; if you want to talk about something in a later chapter, I'll be posting topics for the other chapters as well.

The ending of chapter 13!.... what/who was in the attic?

Getting more interesting ☺️

Ok, is the house haunted or is it just Cara and/or Peter trying to make Frances think it is? And the snippet of the trial, is the body in the bath at the beginning of the book dead and is Frances accused of it? What does Victor know and what is he hoping Frances will tell him? There isn’t a lot of book left and still a lot of loose ends.

I think Frances has gotten herself into a situation with these two that is going to take something major to happen for her to get herself out.

Frances tried to escape by going back to London, but she finds nothing to go back to. She is uncomfortable with the idea of taking all of the things from the museum, yet she steals the book from the library.

She has never had anyone seeking her approval before so she is compelled to allow Peter and Cara to surprise her with all of the things from the museum. She pretends they are borrowing them knowing they are not. She is falling more and more in love with both Cara and Peter and is becoming more and more comfortable. When Cara undresses her, “I let it out, all the overflowing abundance of my body, the undulations and the rolls, the flab and the stretch marks, the bird Mother would tut about and pinch. I stepped out of it all and threw it away.” I think she threw it away literally and figuratively. I audibly gasped when that scene unfolded. It was so vivid and so exposed. This is my favorite scene in the book so far. I think it’s a very important turning point for Frances. She’s been contained, literally, by her mother’s underwear for so long. She’s now free and I’m afraid she will go too far. Her own mother had never truly accepted her for who she was. She wore a locket with a picture of a model child instead of Frances. Cara and Peter seemed to truly accept her for who she was and told her she was beautiful. She couldn’t help but go along with whatever they wanted.

I love finding out more about Frances’ past. I’m sad for her. I, however, feel like the only one who doesn’t identify with her at all. She reminds me a lot of Eleanor from The Haunting (Haunting of Hill House).

It’s obvious that she is in love with both Peter and Cara in slightly different ways which may be how she gets herself in so much trouble. I wonder what the hearing is about, if the landlord pressed charges due to them stealing from the museum or if something may happen more drastic. I feel like something may happen to Cara.