Reading the Chunksters discussion

And now we finally have Anna's perspective! Drum roll please!

I loved this POV and I can say it was everything I hoped for. It confirmed my opinion of Joe and Simon, although Alex came off a bit different from what I had gotten. The funny thing is, even as I was practically applauding Anna's POV, I knew that I was probably not getting an entirely accurate picture. I know someone is going to disagree and think that Anna was horrible. That's what's fascinating about this book. I think we get a picture here of a woman who is very stressed and trying to make sense of things.

Anna's thoughts on university were quite interesting. She says of Simon A young man, clean-looking, dark hair, unostentatious, in his dress, whom I hadn't remembered from the first tutorial the previous week, stood up and started talking, partly reading, partly performing, all without pretension, without ego I find this interesting because I think Simon has plenty of ego. He's arrogant and so incredibly sure that he's right every single time. Only his opinions are correct. So I was a bit surprised by Anna's comment here. But then After a while the novelty of the novelty wears off and you have to resort to deceiving yourself about the quality of whomever you're knowing at the time and And I couldn't have married Simon; it would have been too stultifying This is the Simon that I see. I liked seeing her perspective of the relationship because it answers our questions about Simon. This really was just a normal break up that he could never get over. I wonder if it was because he felt he had control over her. That he was molding her and creating her rather than seeing her as a separate person. Even she says I had been programmed then she says I was able to anticipate his attitude to most things. I had absorbed his thoughts and feelings. And this is where we find out that she wrote her own essays at Uni. Simon thinks he wrote them, but it's more like she wrote them with his opinions if we can believe Anna.

Later on, when she's getting tired and feeling diminished, as she puts it, they have an argument over a song that she says is good. Agoodsong! It's better than that." "Oh s**t, have I failed again?" This is just exactly what I thought of Simon. This oppression because he thinks that he is right in all things. This also makes sense of his earlier thought that they were created in each other's image, which frankly freaked me out. They didn't become mirrors of each other, he made her feel special and then created her in his image. His image, not each other's.

And then we finally get something very unambiguous according to Anna. William's creepy peeping Tom moments. First the shower an then the hall/bedroom. What was his bathrobe even doing open?!?!?! I have this horrible image that he was actually masturbating there while he was watching her. It had to be either that or he wanted her to see that he was aroused. This is such an awful moment. I also thought it was interesting that earlier, when (I think) Alex was talking about this moment, Simon said that he pulled up to the house and saw the whole thing in the wash of the headlights. I swear it said that it was an accident on William's part, but he didn't mention the open bathrobe even though he says he saw everything that was going on. Is Simon blocking something out here? Can anyone imagine seeing your father doing something like this? It's too incredibly horrid to even imagine.

Once she leaves Simon, you can see how oppressed she felt in the way she totally lets go and becomes a serious party girl. And then this idea that she MUST get married so she just whittles down the list until Joe is the last candidate. This is a horrible way to do this. So moments with Joe: When they go out to dinner, she's quite charmed by the fact that Joe hands a bag of candy to the waiter as a sort of tip. Oh my God did I laugh at this. This has to be one of his mother's bags of candy, right? She's charmed (God only knows why she finds this charming) and he's just get rid of his mother's lousy candies. This was very funny. Oh! and then we find out the truth (maybe) of what happened with the clothes shopping incident and it turns out that Joe was dead on in his perception of her. She did get embarrassed. The first time I was ashamed to be with him he had done nothing at all to deserve it. Actually, I'm quite baffled as to why she was ashamed, but the point is, Joe was right. Then I virtually accepted his marriage proposal to prove I hadn't been embarrassed by him. Now there's a reason to get married! Another moment is when she's pregnant and obviously having a really horrible time with morning sickness and what does our sweet and sympathetic Joe say? "It's a shame, but... you know... it's what women go through." And then off to work he goes. She's spending the entire day puking his guts out and he just dismisses it like she'll get over it. Then we have a lovely moment where they take a vacation to try to rest and help them have a recuperative time. He wants to renew their intimacy. How does he do it? By renting a porno WITH TWO WOMEN IN IT! Seriously, WTF is this guy thinking? "Oh, it's a turn on to me. Anna will come around." I mean my God! Does he ever see past himself? I knew when Anna just went along with it that this would be how she got pregnant. She should have just left him then. Also, it's interesting to find out that that morning tea where Joe thinks she's angry with him she was actually feeling pity and a terrible sadness, and guilt. This kind of thing shows how our own thoughts and perceptions of people can be quite wrong.

Later on, when they're getting ready for that dinner party, Anna makes the comment The tits are mine he thinks she's just being cute, but she genuinely feels that he thinks they're his. an asset of his to show off, like his house.

Does anybody remember when Michael Gardiner first showed up in the story? The name rang some bells. I suppose it was probably in Joe's section. It's odd that he sounds quite a bit like Joe when she has to call him and explain that her son has been kidnapped and she can't go away with him. It sounds like he says that nothing like this has ever happened to him before. Him. This man appears to have quite a bit in common with Joe. He's being completely selfish and insensitive if we can believe her recall. And then he stops returning her calls. Why?

Her perceptions of Alex are also interesting. He was just the sort of psychiatrist Simon would get: worldly, mellifluous, well spoken, and completely unhinged by a loyalty to Simon bordering on love.

So then we get to Simon's trial along with her interviews with the police and prepping by the prosecution. I have a question. There's an odd comment that I didn't completely understand. I told them I resented the implication. Detective Staszic seemed to be able to live with that. He had to stifle a grin meant for other occasions. This is on page 514 and I couldn't make sense of it.

What did everyone think about Joe putting the house and car in his name only? Despite the fact that her father had given them the money. Is this another look at his perception of himself being based entirely on money and ownership of expensive things? Is he so obsessed that he even has to do something so underhanded?

What does everyone think (and hope) that Anna decided at the end?

Yes, drum roll for Anna's POV finally!

First, I'm not sure why I expected some sort of resolution at the end of Anna's story, (maybe because Sarah had mentioned that part seven was more of an epilogue?), anyway I did and at the very end with the judge asking Anna to answer the question and she just sat there staring, I was about to die that that was the last of her part!!!

Secondly, I again felt sorry for Anna. So, it seems that from each person's POV, I really feel for them. It's only when I see the same person from another point of view that I can see how their actions can be perceived quite differently from what their intentions are. A perfect example of this was when Anna responded to Joe at one point and she knew she sounded bitchy, even though that wasn't her intent.

As to Anna's POV on Joe, I have to say that I felt bad for Joe when I realized that his assessment of the clothing store scene was right on the mark - that Anna had been embarrassed by him. Again, I wanted to shake Anna and wish that she hadn't made the mistake of marrying Joe. She was only 22 at the time! She kept saying how she felt like there were younger girls coming up to take her spot, so before she got any older she had better get married soon. She made a hasty decision, I feel bad that she followed that line of reasoning and also pressure from her parents to marry and have kids. I wish she had still had the backbone to stand up for what she wanted, just like she did when she left Simon.

As to Anna's POV on Simon, I can totally see his superior intellect coming out and grating on Anna. We got a sense of this from Alex's POV when he was telling Simon how he appeared in the University classroom when he stood up to that professor. It was interesting that Simon said he actually wrote Anna's papers, but it sounded like from Anna's POV that she actually wrote them, but that Simon's ideas were so engrained in her that the papers sounded like Simon. I can see how it would be difficult to be with someone who you felt like you couldn't disagree with, that the argument wouldn't be over until you finally agreed with that person. That is what I perceived Anna to feel, and just to feel free to think what she wanted she had to leave. And it's sad that looking back, she realized that Simon was the best fit fit her. That she did agree with a lot of his ideas and he was good for her. This makes me angry at Simon for being so overbearing in his ideas and always having to be "right".

But of course the precipitating moment of Anna finally leaving was the scene with William!! EWWWW! And of course I felt bad for her situation and not want to be the person to tell Simon that his dad took such an action. But on the other hand, perhaps if she would have said something to Simon, this would have opened up a door to communication between Simon and his parents about all the problems that have been swept under the rug. Of course this would have had made no difference to Anna's feelings towards Simon, but it could have helped in the long run in Simon understanding part of the reason why Anna left so suddenly. Communication, people!!

I will post this now and I'm sure I will have more to say after I think a bit. Off to read Sarah's post.

Sarah wrote: "I loved this POV and I can say it was everything I hoped for."

:)

...as I was practically applauding Anna's POV, I knew that I was probably not getting an entirely accurate picture. I know someone is going to disagree and think that Anna was horrible.

I was also applauding Anna's POV for the most part. When I wanted to shake some sense into her, though, was her line of reasoning for marrying and ultimately picking Joe (that he was the "last one standing"), her continual thinking that she still had "pancake abs" and that she had to keep looking good because there were always younger women with "crepe abs" (Not that she shouldn't want to look good, but it seemed she was really fixated on that point. And I actually laughed at the phrase "crepe abs"! lol), and then finally her apparent no knowledge of their financial situation?! For all her talk in the past wanting to be a "knowledgeable housewife" (from her university paper), she sure spends a lot of time thinking about her looks and not about where their money is spent.

Which brings me to the thought - what did Anna and Joe ever have in common? Joe thought all Anna cared about was money (which she says she doesn't), and Anna is apparently concerned with her looks, but only so that she can find a keep a man (Joe appreciates this, but he's constantly amazed that he has such a beautiful woman). What did they ever talk about or do together that they enjoyed and had in common? Perhaps that is one reason she is looking back on Simon and their conversations, even though she eventually felt stifled by them.

Do you think she could be idealistic Simon a bit because of her relationship with Joe? She sounds accurate but now I'm wondering.

Sarah wrote: "And then we finally get something very unambiguous according to Anna."

I loved this line from this scene: "It was unambiguous." Ha! It was almost as if we, the readers (since we know the title of the book), were given a secret signal that there is no question that THIS part of the story actually happened. Even though I know it's told from Anna's POV, it felt like the author was giving us this one fact. If we weren't sure about anything else, we could at least be sure of this one thing.

And I will have to go reread this part from Simon's point of view because I don't remember the specifics. I wonder if he is blocking something out?

Sarah wrote: "she's quite charmed by the fact that Joe hands a bag of candy to the waiter as a sort of tip. Oh my God did I laugh at this. This has to be one of his mother's bags of candy, right? She's charmed (God only knows why she finds this charming) and he's just get rid of his mother's lousy candies. This was very funny."

I know, this was funny!! I was also puzzled by why she thought this was charming. My thinking was that the candy was in his pants pocket, and since he gave his coat to the waiter he didn't want a bulge in his pocket, so he gave the waiter the candy as just a way of getting rid of it? And Anna thought this was charming because it showed Joe was nervous and didn't want to look silly by having a pocketful of candy? That was my final take on that scene, but I'm not really sure.

Then I virtually accepted his marriage proposal to prove I hadn't been embarrassed by him. Now there's a reason to get married!

Oh yes, I forgot she had actually stated this!! Not just that Joe was the last one standing, but to prove she was not embarrassed. I'm shaking my head in disbelief.

He wants to renew their intimacy. How does he do it? By renting a porno WITH TWO WOMEN IN IT! Seriously, WTF is this guy thinking?

Ha ha! I know, what the heck?!! This guy. [Shaking my head again]

I knew when Anna just went along with it that this would be how she got pregnant.

Yep. Saw that coming.

Also, it's interesting to find out that that morning tea where Joe thinks she's angry with him she was actually feeling pity and a terrible sadness, and guilt. This kind of thing shows how our own thoughts and perceptions of people can be quite wrong.

Yeah, I caught that too. It really makes you think about assuming what you think is going through someone else's head.

It's odd that he sounds quite a bit like Joe when she has to call him and explain that her son has been kidnapped and she can't go away with him.... Him. This man appears to have quite a bit in common with Joe.... And then he stops returning her calls. Why?

I was appalled that Michael was thinking about himself too. And I wanted him to answer Anna's phone call so I can get some sort of explanation!

This is on page 514 and I couldn't make sense of it.

I have to go look this up when I get the chance and get back to you. I remember this, but not the entire scene.

What did everyone think about Joe putting the house and car in his name only?

I didn't think it was underhanded at all. I just took it as "he's the man, so he takes care of the financial obligations". He makes the money and provides for his family, so buying the house and dealing with the finance is his way of taking care of the family. It's nothing that Anna needs to worry about. It probably didn't even occur to him to put her name on the title. Remember when he told her that maybe she shouldn't be working, and this was when SHE was the only one with a job at that point?!

Sarah wrote: "What does everyone think (and hope) that Anna decided at the end?"

Well, even after all the stifling superiority and other flaws I saw in Simon, as I read that last page I found myself undoubtedly wanting Anna to save him.

Sarah wrote: "Do you think she could be idealistic Simon a bit because of her relationship with Joe? She sounds accurate but now I'm wondering."

Good question, I had not thought of that. She's in a horrible relationship, so she's thinking back fondly of what was good in her relationship with Simon, and maybe glossing over a bit more of the bad stuff.

Linda wrote: "at the very end with the judge asking Anna to answer the question and she just sat there staring, I was about to die that that was the last of her part!!!..."

Me too!!! Is the author going to be so cruel that we don't find out what happens to everyone?

A perfect example of this was when Anna responded to Joe at one point and she knew she sounded bitchy, even though that wasn't her intent.

This one's interesting. I took this as she knew she was being bitchy but once he accused her she couldn't admit it.

I wanted to shake Anna and wish that she hadn't made the mistake of marrying Joe

She's such an idiot. We all do really stupid things when we're that young, I certainly did loads, but this one takes the cake.

I can see how it would be difficult to be with someone who you felt like you couldn't disagree with, that the argument wouldn't be over until you finally agreed with that person

This would wear anybody down. I would probably just stop talking all together.

Sarah wrote: "This one's interesting. I took this as she knew she was being bitchy but once he accused her she couldn't admit it."

I could have this wrong, I need to find the scene and reread it. I thought I remember Anna saying that she wasn't trying to be bitchy, but she was aware that that's what it sounded like.

But you could be right, she's trying to portray herself to look better than she actually was at the moment.

Ah, the crepe abs. I'm glad you mentioned that because I laughed pretty hard at that.

For all her talk in the past wanting to be a "knowledgeable housewife" (from her university paper), she sure spends a lot of time thinking about her looks and not about where their money is spent.

This is odd and I didn't really think of it at the time. She works and she's the primary caregiver to Sam... but that's it. That's her life. I would be incredibly bored. Does she every actually do crosswords? Simon seems to have half-memories that she was doing crosswords but I've seen nothing to indicate that she actually did. She is unbelievable with regards to money. How can anybody in our modern era not realize that she has to sign something to get a loan? This was actually a very good point of Joe's.

And I will have to go reread this part from Simon's point of view because I don't remember the specifics. I wonder if he is blocking something out?

I think this was actually in Alex's part. I remember Ami and I discussing what it meant and she pointed out that it was in Sorrento, which was the past.

Remember when he told her that maybe she shouldn't be working, and this was when SHE was the only one with a job at that point?!

I know! I'm like "Yeah, honey, we're gonna lose the house. Why don't you quit your job?" That was totally insane.

Linda wrote: "Well, even after all the stifling superiority and other flaws I saw in Simon, as I read that last page I found myself undoubtedly wanting Anna to save him. ..."

Sadly I did too. And I'm extremely obsessive about telling the truth. Not to mention that there was the whole perjury issue. How does this author bend our brains so effectively?!?! This was something that should have been unambiguous. Simon kidnapped her son. End of story. Or it should be.

Linda wrote: "Sarah wrote: "This one's interesting. I took this as she knew she was being bitchy but once he accused her she couldn't admit it."

I could have this wrong, I need to find the scene and reread it. ..."

I'll see if I can find it too.

P 545 You read it right. I interpreted or remembered it differently. OMG, I was wrong! Gasp. I didn't know that could happen.

Sarah wrote: "P 545 You read it right. I interpreted or remembered it differently. OMG, I was wrong! Gasp. I didn't know that could happen."

ha ha! It happens to the best of us. :D And now we've just become part of the book - two readers remembering the same scene differently.

Exactly! Unreliable observers reading unreliable narrators. How very human.

Well, here I am...The one who disagrees with you on the perception of Anna. :P

While I found her POV telling, mostly because now I know where her anger and utter disdain for Joe stems from, but also realizing Anna throughout this book is anywhere from 22-28 years old...I always found her to be petty (in the way she operated within her relationships), inexperienced with the world (she lived through others), irrational, and a little naive; but it makes sense because she is "very" young. The irony here is, for me, for somebody as intelligent as Anna is perceived to be, I don't feel she learns from her mistakes, and I do not empathize with people who repeatedly make the same destructive mistakes over and over again...This type of behavior is not indicative of somebody who is smart and makes good decisions. I would think, considering the type of discerning woman she can be, she would get off the hamster wheel and go live for herself...And her son. Quite honestly, I found Anna to be the most disappointing/despicable of the lot of them-She's up there with Simon on my list. The worst part is she knows when she's about to or has behaved terribly, but she still proceeds to act in the manner in which she does i.e. the unnecessary blame game and belittling people. And I will attribute this to my expectation of her character, so really it's my fault in being disappointed in Anna...She does not meet my expectation of a smart conscientious woman, she makes choices based on what is easier (she says this numerous times in her POV...Did it not strike any of you as troubling, to always take the easier route?) in all cases to avoid, she does not evolve as person in spite of her circumstances.

Let's begin with the cycle of relationships with men Anna finds herself involved with. There's Simon, Joe and Dr. Gardiner. She's 19-20 years old when she meets Simon in college (that's a 2 1/2 year relationship); she meets Joe 3 months later after the breakup and marries him, in spite of being disenchanted with both him and her wedding; 5-6 years later, she has a year long dalliance with Dr. Gardiner, who essentially ends up being similar to Joe in more ways than none. Anna found Simon stifling and diminished; she didn't like Joe to begin with marrying him out of "pity;" and she gets involved with Dr. Gardiner, emotionally involved I might add, only to be abandoned by him in the aftermath of Sam's kidnapping. These are all different men, with varying backgrounds, an assortment of brain power, etc...But what is the one commonality between them all, aside from their sex? It's Anna...She's the commonality. So we can sit here and throw stones at some of these men, but at the core of the problem sits Anna. I don't think she knows who she is without a man in her life. Some women can get away with living like this, but Anna is not one of them. You can't expect somebody else to bring you happiness when you yourself are not content with yourself. Sure it's great in the beginning, but soon the angst ridden inner psyche will surface, and you're back to square one-I have no doubt she would have had similar problems with Dr. Gardiner as she did with Joe.

A certain level of immaturity goes hand in hand when one is young and in a relationship, and Anna is a prime example of this when she says, there is no doubt a certain excitement in the very newness of a new relationship, but it is transitory. After a while the novelty of the novelty wears off and you have to resort to deceiving yourself about the quality of whomever you're knowing at the time (458-59). Anna makes a very keen and astute observation about where her excitement and complacency fall in the cycle her relationships. This aspect of her drives me bats because she does see the detriments to her psyche, but doesn't do anything to change the trajectory of her path. This "novelty in newness" also shows how shallow she can be, I thought, it's nothing against her but goes with the territory...It seems.

Anna and Simon
The man have changed in her life since Simon, but she as a person in her approach to both Simon and Joe is ever steady with bottled up frustrations. She antagonizes Joe and goads him into arguments, but Simon wasn't above this treatment either. The argument between the two of them referencing the Meerpol song is a prime example of Anna's brewing frustration with Simon, rightfully so, but she has a real problem with communicating and sweeping issues underneath the rug-Indicative behavior of a novice in a relationship-Communication skills better over time for most, just not for her, it would seem.

Throughout her POV, she always made it a point to repeatedly point out she did not think of Simon, but rather that I caught myself thinking 'like' him. For though I did not think of Simon, I did catch myself with Simon's cast of mind... (460). This repetition of thought made me think she 'is' thinking about him. You can tell he was a great influence on her, but it doesn't appease my mind into thinking she does not, or has not thought about him in years. Listen, they had something pretty special, it's undeniable, but she decided to leave him because he really was "too much..." He clearly is an over the top personality (457).

Anna and Joe
Her hate for him stems from this deep rooted pity she's always felt for him. Anna was the one who initiated wanting to make the relationship serious with Joe, wasn't it? Again, she saw many faults in the man from the get go, and knowingly decided to marry to him and remain married for 10years so far. Sorry, I have no sympathy for Anna at all. Despite, Joe being rough around the edges, and a real animal at times, she chose to be with this monster so it's her cross to bear and tame the damn thing. I mean either Sh%^t, or get off the pot, Anna! She has become bitter over the years having to endure this marriage she is not happy in, but she viciously attacks him, goads him, belittles him and essentially emasculates him in the process...Why? What did he "really" do...He was always just being him. It's not an excuse for him, but if you find problems to exist between you and somebody else, you don't do anything about it, you essentially have allowed this problem to continue, is all I'm saying...People do not change, they can evolve, but it's a two way street. Regardless of Joe evolving into becoming a better person; I don't think it would have phased Anna one bit, she would have held him in contempt for something else. She picks and picks and picks. Even stone erodes over time with the constant pressures of water moving along it.

I find Anna to be completely irrational when it comes to her husband Joe because she attacks him, or blames him for things based on her anger towards him for other details. For example, she was 'inclined' to half blame Joe for what happened to Sam. It wasn't rational. It was just how I felt. It was because of her, I suppose. Yes, so let me blame...Sorry," half blame "Joe for my son's kidnapping by "my" ex-boyfriend because my husband is sleeping with a prostitute; a prostitute who is also sleeping with Simon, mind you. Oh, forget the fact that "I've" been having an "emotional" and somewhat scandalous affair with a married doctor this past year?! Anna's right, it's not "rational." Speaking of blaming, yes she's half blaming Joe, is she blaming herself with the other half?

She questions Joe's role as a father to their son Sam...That he's unfit, he doesn't care about him, etc., but how worried was she about the welfare of her son while they were both watching Joe pummel the photographer outside of their window. Wouldn't your first instinct as a mother be to shield your son from violence taking place outside their window; no, she watched Joe experiencing a a shocked fascination (464). Why did she call him and not the police...Because she didn't want her son to be a spectator at a circus; she got one any ways, didn't she? Knowing what we know of Joe, of what she knows of Joe (crude, animalistic, a hidden violent nature), did anybody expect anything else from Joe... She was transfixed partly by the outrage of the assault? Anna questions herself as to why she may have stood at the window watching for however long it was ...So did I just stand there because I wanted to see how much worse Joe could make everything for himself, how more he could hurt himself, doesn't that make her a little sick as well (464)? She questions his motivation too... Why is he doing this, what is he trying to prove? What is "she" doing? This is one of the two times where, in this book, I have been left with a "what the hell" feeling...The other instance is the last paragraph of this section where Anna is contemplating on lying for Simon having permission to take Sam in court.

I think she wants Sam to see what terrible person, in her eyes, his father can be-It's shameful. Yet in the end she also says How hypocritical it is of someone to claim to be perplexed by someone else's momentary loss of himself, when you, yourself, might be said to have lost your mind not for a moment, but for years, not so much lost your mind as lost something else, the name of which is not immediately apparent-call it your 'character' (465)...Boom! I loved this line and it's so redeeming of her, once again, to acknowledge her own fault, and just as disheartening as we proceed to see there really is no action behind the words.

Now on top of all of Joe's terrible traits and general disposition, this despicable specimen of a man, according to Anna, why on earth would she go to Sheere and beg for a job for Joe (this was completely asinine of her, so not professional at all...In the least bit)? She is constantly saying throughout her POV the marriage was mistake...I had married a mistake...I was trapped in a house, forced to sleep, launder and be intimate with a crude, fairly simple man. If this is the case, why did she go to her father for money to spend on assisted living for Joe's mother; or to save their home? The house, nor the car were in her name, she could have left and started a new life virtually unscathed by the divorce...Did we really think it's because she wanted to save her marriage for the sake of her son? I don't think she was scurrying around to tie up loose ends for anything other than a fear of being left without a better man to pick up missing pieces. Dr. Gardiner was out of the picture, her life was on the brink of crumbling down right before her eyes; instead of using the opportunity to make a break for it, she instead attempts to salvage everything...Not because she loves Joe, but because she was "now" obligated to protect her marriage. Anna loves out of obligation, for her husband and sadly, her son as well. I'm not saying she doesn't "love" her son, before any body jumps on my case, I'm saying I don't feel a genuine yearning of a mother for her son by Anna...Similar to what she said about Sam's birth that there was a consistent absence of joy but presence of 'relief'. She is obligated to care for him, she is obligated to protect him, she is obligated to nurture him; Anna even says, I was responsible for him...I owe him (494). The motivation behind the actions is what I question. There is a difference between "wanting" to do something versus "needing" to do it.

Believe it or not, I have so much more about this section...Didn't realize it, but theres a cap on characters in text. Well, this is a first. :) To be continued.

Linda wrote: "Sarah wrote: "she's quite charmed by the fact that Joe hands a bag of candy to the waiter as a sort of tip. Oh my God did I laugh at this. This has to be one of his mother's bags of candy, right? S..."

Sarah wrote: "What does everyone think (and hope) that Anna decided at the end?"

Sarah wrote: "I loved this POV and I can say it was everything I hoped for. It confirmed my opinion of Joe and Simon, although Alex came off a bit different from what I had gotten. The funny thing is, even as ..."

Cont'd

Anna and Dr. Gardiner
The relationship sealed the deal for me as to the shallow and superficial capacity of Anna. She's obviously a relationship jumper and this time it's with a man who is also set with better circumstances of his own on the surface. Anna considered Dr. Gardiner to be not a man of Joe's world, but of a world that mattered...How dreamy of Anna. Having read more into their dynamics, had the relationship worked to her expectation, I foresee the same problems arising as they did with both Joe and Simon. I would have respected her so much more had she left Joe, taken Sam, and go at it alone for awhile...She had a great job and I'm sure wouldn't have had any problems reeling in another man down the road. She reveled in this new world of antiques, a victorian villa, and French gardens...Where was her Catholic guilt at this point? As she says, Her conscious did not trouble her, the conscious of her origins did. I found her thoughts about the 'almost a boy' who was standing there to jump her bones to be laughable...Who's drunk and acting self-important now? The kid was waiting for a tip, you moron (495)! Her level of maturity when it comes to these men is really...Well, she just looks absolutely foolish to me. She has many instances where she's excited by the discomfort she feels by being frightened at the prospect of being caught with Dr. Gardiner...Isn't this unbelievable (505). Not only do I question her motives in this relationship, but I don't understand why she would still want something to do with Dr. Gardiner after the fact that he couldn't even minutely be sympathetic to her while she was telling him about Sam's abduction...I think in the exchange he asks her when a good time to reschedule would be, yet, she still insists on calling him repeatedly to get together. Ridiculous!

I loved this POV and I can say it was everything I hoped for. It confirmed my opinion of Joe and Simon,
It was the opposite for me, I'm afraid. It further cemented how right Joe was about Anna. I find him to be very in tuned to her. You said earlier how the morning tea episode led you to believe Joe got it all wrong and that Anna wasn't angry with him, it was pity. But she has always pitied him and her anger stems from the fact that she has "chosen" to continue to pity him...Her pity and anger are tightly wound around one another. It would be difficult to isolate one characteristic from the other because they feed off of each other in her.

He also knew she was seeing somebody for quite some time; granted, he thought it was Simon when it really was Dr. Gardiner, but still...He knew.

This really was just a normal break up that he could never get over. I wonder if it was because he felt he had control over her. That he was molding her and creating her rather than seeing her as a separate person. Even she says I had been programmed then she says I was able to anticipate his attitude to most things. I had absorbed his thoughts and feelings.

yes, I see this. He exceeded her threshold for him when realized she was no longer augmented by him, but instead diminishing. I thought that was a great way of describing his influence over her.

Once she leaves Simon, you can see how oppressed she felt in the way she totally lets go and becomes a serious party girl. And then this idea that she MUST get married so she just whittles down the list until Joe is the last candidate. This is a horrible way to do this.
Yes, I think this has a lot to do with her parents constantly telling her to get married and have children; they too hold her prisoner under the helm of Catholic values, essentially guilt. Religion plays a huge role in many of these narratives. I think it was briefly mentioned in P1's thread, but there's heavy hand of Catholic virtue and belief peppered throughout the novel, don't you think?

Actually, I'm quite baffled as to why she was ashamed, but the point is, Joe was right. Then I virtually accepted his marriage proposal to prove I hadn't been embarrassed by him. Now there's a reason to get married!

I think this stems from both her ability to be shallow, but also immaturity. Joe goes down as the second 'relationship' with a man she has ever known. She looks at his disheveled appearance as something he was lacking-A confidence, so to speak. I think by him asking her to help him dress better magnified his insecurity in her eyes...It's shallow, Sarah, but I equate it to be young and inexperienced. IDK.

He wants to renew their intimacy. How does he do it? By renting a porno WITH TWO WOMEN IN IT! Seriously, WTF is this guy thinking? "Oh, it's a turn on to me. Anna will come around." I mean my God! Does he ever see past himself?
SMH! LoL! I'm sorry, I can't do anything but laugh. These two are exhausting. I don't want to touch it anymore. All I will say is, he does pull out all the stops...Doesn't he?

Anna makes the comment The tits are mine he thinks she's just being cute, but she genuinely feels that he thinks they're his. an asset of his to show off, like his house.

Yes, he is this type of man...The huge tits, fast car, adrenaline rush loving man. You find somebody like Anna and pair her off with a guy like Joe...yes, you're going to get comments such as these.

This man appears to have quite a bit in common with Joe. He's being completely selfish and insensitive if we can believe her recall. And then he stops returning her calls. Why?
Why else, Sarah...She's got major baggage now with the court case coming up. This Dr. is a real Richard of all Richards...A real Grande Sphincter...A devil in sheep's clothing. What I'm really offended by is that for all she holds Joe in contempt for, she does not see through this facade of the doctor. Hmmm, guess all the shiny bright objects Michael brought to the table were too blinding?

What did everyone think about Joe putting the house and car in his name only? Despite the fact that her father had given them the money. Is this another look at his perception of himself being based entirely on money and ownership of expensive things? Is he so obsessed that he even has to do something so underhanded?
I'm with Linda on this...I didn't perceive it as "underhanded" at all. I did see it as him having some foresight into her leaving him one day. I did not see it as him being selfish because he wasn't selfish with tangible objects.

Which brings me to the thought - what did Anna and Joe ever have in common? Joe thought all Anna cared about was money (which she says she doesn't), and Anna is apparently concerned with her looks, but only so that she can find a keep a man (Joe appreciates this, but he's constantly amazed that he has such a beautiful woman).
I think for him, she was a conquest. For her, he had the ability to give her a physical future she wanted with all the bells and whistles. Anna was just as superficial as Joe...Just the way she romanticized about Michael and antiques, Victorian villa and French garden, I don't buy she wasn't affected or motivated by it. Yes, the emphasis she places on her physical attributes as the only means a man can be interested in a woman...Her self worth, she values based on her exterior. Now there's something to talk about??

What does everyone think (and hope) that Anna decided at the end?
OMG! I wanted her to put the despicable man in the can...You guys, what the hell? LoL!!! Simon kidnapped her kid, he is not in the right frame of mind, he could be really sick...Why did you want her to lie for him? If at the end of this section you read she was trying to salvage her marriage...Wait, did you read it like this? If so, why would you want her to further jeopardize this moment of clarity she's had in protecting the sanctity of her marriage and lie for Simon in a court of law?

This chapter proved to be very enlightening, just as we all hoped. Lots of new information, especially in the beginning. I've changed my opinion on Simon, he doesn't feel 'insubstantial' anymore to me. I'd never have guessed that it was Anna who wanted to meet Simon first, and who insinuated herself next to him in the queue to buy coffee and later thought I could not have been more obvious if I'd crawled under the table and torn at his jeans, indeed!

I dislike Anna because she's a hypocrite. She still thinks she shares Simon's values when in fact she lives a life that couldn't be more opposed to what he believes in.
I don't feel particularly sorry for what she has to endure from Joe either because she brought it upon herself. Joe is a somewhat primitive man with no cultural needs and a greed for money, but he never pretended to be anything else. And Anna chose him over the sophisticated and caring Simon. She married a man whom she despised, and made him feel it all the time which is probably why he didn't care much about her, because they were never truly together.

Somehow I don't buy the argument about Simon's ego and his superiority. To me in this chapter it became clear how unique and brilliant a person he must have been. It can be no mistake that such people as Anna, Alex Klima or Angela all in their own way were instantly fascinated by him. Whereas Anna was an average if beautiful girl who couldn't for the life of her decide what she wanted. That's nothing to be ashamed of, but what I dislike most about her is that she is a hypocrite. I don't think Simon harmed her by being overbearing, she' s learned a great deal just by being with him which is a value in itself, at least by my standards. And overall from her entire life I draw a conclusion that she mostly became what others wanted her to be. With Simon, she adapted his view of the world and seldom ever tried to contradict him, then when she broke off she adopted her parents' belief that she had to marry ASAP because she was becoming older by the minute. At that point she didn't care who her partner was or what would they have in common, she abandoned her interest in arts and literature and chose a guy who worshipped money. Here was the crude man I had somehow married who was always struggling to hide the essential animality that we both tried to pretend had not been inherited from his father. How very sweet. I can't for the life of me guess why she didn't divorce him in the first few months of their marriage, just as I don't understand why she didn't stay in touch with Simon as his friend and never once called him in 10 years. After all she understood that what they had was special, the Earth often moved even if the curtains never swayed

I know now that Anna knew Simon very well and she should have known that he was not able to hurt Sam. But she feels enraged that Simon asks of her to tell a lie, a lie that would cost me my marriage. At that point in the novel I was absolutely sure that terminating this very marriage was the best thing that could happen to Anna, Joe and Sam, so I was angry at her instead.

It's not that I disliked her instantly, in the beginning I thought she was nicer than I could have foreseen. But later in the story she was all the time feeling sorry for herself, when she was the person on whom everyone depended. At the same time she refused to do anything about it.

Sarah wrote: "I have a question. There's an odd comment that I didn't completely understand. I told them I resented the implication. Detective Staszic seemed to be able to live with that. He had to stifle a grin meant for other occasions. This is on page 514 and I couldn't make sense of it."

I thought that Anna told the police clearly that she hadn't met Simon in 10 years and detective Staszic was overjoyed because he wanted to send Simon to jail for good because he disliked him.

Linda wrote: "at the very end with the judge asking Anna to answer the question and she just sat there staring, I was about to die that that was the last of her part!!!"

In my opinion this was masterfully done with a cliffhanger that made the reader want to immediately follow through to the next chapter in order to learn how exactly everything ended.

Sarah wrote: "This was something that should have been unambiguous. Simon kidnapped her son. End of story. Or it should be.

Except he was being accused of kidnapping the child for ransom and we all know how absurd this accusation was. And he had Anna's best interests at heart, strange as it may sound. Weren't you angry with her at how reluctant she was to ask Sam about the accident in the pool?

As many readers, as many interpretations...

Sarah wrote: "I loved this POV and I can say it was everything I hoped for. It confirmed my opinion of Joe and Simon, although Alex came off a bit different from what I had gotten. The funny thing is, even as ..."

Teanka wrote: "This chapter proved to be very enlightening, just as we all hoped. Lots of new information, especially in the beginning. I've changed my opinion on Simon, he doesn't feel 'insubstantial' anymore to..."

I dislike Anna because she's a hypocrite. She still thinks she shares Simon's values when in fact she lives a life that couldn't be more opposed to what he believes in.
I don't feel particularly sorry for what she has to endure from Joe either because she brought it upon herself.
Thank you and thank you!

Joe is a somewhat primitive man with no cultural needs and a greed for money, but he never pretended to be anything else. And Anna chose him over the sophisticated and caring Simon. She married a man whom she despised, and made him feel it all the time which is probably why he didn't care much about her, because they were never truly together.
See, I did see him trying to care for her...He made attempt after attempt, offering to make her tea, letting her know she didn't have to work, and there's the renewal of intimacy attempts as well; perhaps, out of left field, but attempts no less.

"I have a question. There's an odd comment that I didn't completely understand. I told them I resented the implication. Detective Staszic seemed to be able to live with that. He had to stifle a grin meant for other occasions. This is on page 514 and I couldn't make sense of it."
I'm with Teanka on this one too...Staszic, was hell bent on getting Simon.

Does anybody remember when Michael Gardiner first showed up in the story? The name rang some bells. I suppose it was probably in Joe's section.
I don't remember him being mentioned in Joe's section, what I do remember is David Buchanan. I didn't think Joe brought up the cocktail party in his section except in reference to meeting Buchanan one time casually before (cocktail party) sitting down at their professional meeting with Sheere.

As an aside, when was the last time anybody ever drank daiquiris at a cocktail party...I've never seen anybody order frozen drink like that unless we're on vacation somewhere tropical. Is it just me? Maybe it's an Australian thing, was the party during the holidays...I know it's summer there at that time, but still, daiquiris?

Ami wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I loved this POV and I can say it was everything I hoped for. It confirmed my opinion of Joe and Simon

It was the opposite for me, I'm afraid. It further cemented how right Joe was about Anna. I find him to be very in tuned to her."

I agree with you completely Ami, you've expressed it very well. And yes, I saw that Joe tried to care for Anna but ultimately (after the kidnapping) he ceased trying, I think. Also, he was always afraid that she'd ridicule him for whatever reason.

And I didn't particularly like Simon earlier, it was Anna in her chapter who made me switch sides, when I learned more about their common past.

Ami wrote: "Her self worth, she values based on her exterior. Now there's something to talk about?? "

Yeah, I got very tired of her 'pancake flat belly', the only feature that accounts for a successful affair.

Ami wrote: "Well, here I am...The one who disagrees with you on the perception of Anna. :P"

Well, although I DID feel sorry for her, as I did every other character to some degree, I don't disagree with any of your analysis of her at all. I just think that you were at the other end of the spectrum from me, though, in your dislike for her and her actions. Even though I disagreed with her marrying Joe and how she went about it (among many other things), I just chalked it up to a very unfortunate mistake on her part because she was young and stupid. So I went with the "feeling sorry" emotion towards her rather than the "utter disdain" for her like you feel.

What does everyone think (and hope) that Anna decided at the end?
OMG! I wanted her to put the despicable man in the can...You guys, what the hell? LoL!!!

Ha! I know, it doesn't make sense when you think of it rationally. What can I say, I guess my emotions took over and simply wanted Simon to be saved. I still felt bad for the guy.

Linda wrote: "Ami wrote: "Well, here I am...The one who disagrees with you on the perception of Anna. :P"

Well, although I DID feel sorry for her, as I did every other character to some degree, I don't disagree..."

I didn't find myself hating her at all, just "really really disliking." I used "utter disdain" to describe how she felt for Joe. I felt sorry for her as well, but more so in Joe's POV, however little I did feel for her at the time. I would think Anna needed time alone to find herself instead of looking for herself in others, but she never did this...She seemed to jump from relationship to relationship (Simon->Joe->Michael Gardniner). If Michael did end up calling her and they did rekindle, I have no doubt she would have divorced Joe and not given Simon a second thought either, no matter how engrained he was in her.

Ami wrote: "I didn't find myself hating her at all, just "really really disliking." I used "utter disdain" to describe how she felt for Joe. I felt sorry for her as well, but more so in Joe's POV, however little I did feel for her at the time."

Sorry Ami, I didn't mean to twist your words there.

We are in agreement then - your post was much more well articulated and showed where many of her faults lie. And I totally agree that she needs to be by herself and learn what it is that makes Anna Anna besides which man she is with. I also think you called it by saying that if Michael had called her, that Anna would be with Michael in the end and not Simon. She seems to ride the wave of men who decide to be with her.

Teanka wrote: "I dislike Anna because she's a hypocrite. She still thinks she shares Simon's values when in fact she lives a life that couldn't be more opposed to what he believes in.
I don't feel particularly sorry for what she has to endure from Joe either because she brought it upon herself. Joe is a somewhat primitive man with no cultural needs and a greed for money, but he never pretended to be anything else."

I also thought that she appeared to be a hypocrite in the way she lived versus what she said she believed in. But, I'm still not sure if what she believed are truly her own ideas, or what she thought were hers but were really Simon's ideas. It's hard to get a picture of who Anna really was as her own person.

I do see what you're saying about Joe. You're right, he never pretended. He even thought that that's why Anna married him, for his money, and so he continually strived to provide for what he thought she wanted from him. And you bring up a good point about Joe working in a car lot - he DOES love cars and he did seem quite happy there. Maybe it was actually his unrealized dream job! I laughed when I saw him working there, though, because there is a stigma about working at a car lot that you can't get anything else in the way of work and people find themselves stuck there and that it's not the ideal job to have. (I always think of the husband in Fargo working at the car lot)

But she feels enraged that Simon asks of her to tell a lie, a lie that would cost me my marriage. At that point in the novel I was absolutely sure that terminating this very marriage was the best thing that could happen to Anna, Joe and Sam, so I was angry at her instead.

True. But, it's not her ex-boyfriend's (from 10 years past!) place to tell her when to dissolve her marriage. Again, Simon telling Anna what's best for her. She needs to grow a backbone already and make her own decisions.

As many readers, as many interpretations...

Well said, Teanka.

He made attempt after attempt, offering to make her tea, letting her know she didn't have to work, and there's the renewal of intimacy attempts as well;

I admit that I'm kind of surprised that people think that he cared for Anna. I don't know about the tea making part but these other two things are things that benefit him. But what about her pregnancy? It sounds like she had an exceptionally severe form of morning sickness and he just couldn't get out of the house fast enough. She's puking her guts out for hours every day and he just says "Well, it happens" and leaves. And then after their first son is born he makes no attempt to help with child care but then he criticizes her when the child begins to lose weight, and he blames her for the child's death saying that it was deliberate because she thought he looked like Roger. There's nothing there that involves caring.

Anna was the one who initiated wanting to make the relationship serious with Joe, wasn't it?

He thought they already were exclusive.

She has become bitter over the years having to endure this marriage she is not happy in, but she viciously attacks him, goads him, belittles him and essentially emasculates him in the process

She's unhappy and bitchy at times but I don't think to this extreme.

For example, she was 'inclined' to half blame Joe for what happened to Sam. It wasn't rational. It was just how I felt. It was because of her, I suppose. Yes, so let me blame...Sorry," half blame "Joe for my son's kidnapping by "my" ex-boyfriend because my husband is sleeping with a prostitute; a prostitute who is also sleeping with Simon, mind you.

This is interesting because the situation can be read two ways. It could have nothing to do with Joe, which I think is how you're reading it, or it could be half-each. It is Anna's ex and Joe's prostitute who are there when he's kidnapped. I think you're seeing Angela as attached to Simon rather than Joe, which makes a difference here.

why on earth would she go to Sheere and beg for a job for Joe (this was completely asinine of her, so not professional at all...In the least bit)?

I don't think she understood at all. She was trying to hold off the moment of having to make a choice and she thought that getting him a job would help. She didn't seem to understand what he does at all.

If this is the case, why did she go to her father for money to spend on assisted living for Joe's mother; or to save their home? The house, nor the car were in her name, she could have left and started a new life virtually unscathed by the divorce

The assisted living thing is actually the right thing to do. It's taking care of the most important decision, the only one that has to be made right then. As for the house and the car not being in her name, I honestly think that she has no concept of how credit works. Even after he explains it to her she still thinks she would get half of the house in the divorce.

Anna loves out of obligation, for her husband and sadly, her son as well.

I don't know that I agree with this but mainly because I don't know that I would use the word love. I think Anna moves in whatever direction pressure is pushing her. She does what everyone else wants her to do but never makes a choice herself. With a situation like the assisted living center for Joe's mom, that was a decision that had to be made right at that moment. She's only making a change in moment's of crisis, I think.

All I will say is, he does pull out all the stops...Doesn't he?


Couldn't he have at least TRIED a porno that had a guy in it? Rather than going for what turned him on? How would he have reacted if she had come home with a porno with two men in it?

I wanted her to put the despicable man in the can...You guys, what the hell? LoL!!! Simon kidnapped her kid, he is not in the right frame of mind, he could be really sick...

But that's the point. I thought he was sick. He made a horrible mistake and he was more than paying for it.

Sarah wrote: "But that's the point. I thought he was sick. He made a horrible mistake and he was more than paying for it."

Yeah, that also. He did say, looking back on his actions, that he couldn't believe he had done it and was trying to remember what was going through his head at the time he made the decision to kidnap Sam.

It can be no mistake that such people as Anna, Alex Klima or Angela all in their own way were instantly fascinated by him.

This fascinated me from the beginning. He almost seemed to be able to magically compel people. It was very surprising.

I don't think Simon harmed her by being overbearing

Hmmm... this caught my attention because we've been discussing Anna's relative weakness. Simon probably wouldn't have harmed someone who was strong and met him as an equal, but Anna was neither of these. And Simon really thought he was right about everything. It would have been utterly exhausting.

And overall from her entire life I draw a conclusion that she mostly became what others wanted her to be

That's Anna in a nutshell.

I thought that Anna told the police clearly that she hadn't met Simon in 10 years and detective Staszic was overjoyed because he wanted to send Simon to jail for good because he disliked him.

Possible, but what about the specific comment about "a grin meant for other occasions"? That made me think of his strange sexual predilections.

Weren't you angry with her at how reluctant she was to ask Sam about the accident in the pool?

I wasn't actually. Asking that question and finding out that Simon was right means finding out that she failed her son and he almost died. Finding out that your child almost died would have you questioning your own actions. Were you negligent? Is it your fault your son almost died? And most of all that he almost died and never told you. I can see avoiding that question.

Even though I disagreed with her marrying Joe and how she went about it (among many other things), I just chalked it up to a very unfortunate mistake on her part because she was young and stupid

I agree. I made so many idiotic mistakes between 18 and 27 that it's quite remarkable. I'm lucky that I didn't marry anybody or have kids. And maybe because I made so many mistakes, I'm more capable of sympathizing with Anna. Not everybody gets it right.

She needs to grow a backbone already and make her own decisions

That she does.

Sarah wrote: "He made attempt after attempt, offering to make her tea, letting her know she didn't have to work, and there's the renewal of intimacy attempts as well;

I admit that I'm kind of surprised that peo..."

Linda wrote: "Sarah wrote: "But that's the point. I thought he was sick. He made a horrible mistake and he was more than paying for it."

Yeah, that also. He did say, looking back on his actions, that he couldn..."

I don't know how I feel about "not guilty by reason of momentary insanity, or mental illness." If it were my child, I would want Simon to pay 10-fold, regardless of his state of mind. When it comes to the welfare of a child, there's no excuse that justifies an abduction of a child who does not belong to you, as it pertains to this story.

Linda wrote: "Ami wrote: "I didn't find myself hating her at all, just "really really disliking." I used "utter disdain" to describe how she felt for Joe. I felt sorry for her as well, but more so in Joe's POV, ..."

No, no...No problem at all. :)

Sarah wrote: "He made attempt after attempt, offering to make her tea, letting her know she didn't have to work, and there's the renewal of intimacy attempts as well;

I admit that I'm kind of surprised that peo..."

Hmmmm.

Sarah, you're right about the word choice in using "love" to describe Anna's feelings for Joe because it clearly isn't the reason.

I agree, he could have at least picked a porno with a man in it. LoL!

As for the other comments, I understand how you came to those conclusions and just I'm going to leave it at that. I feel their never-ending cycle of picking at faults in one another will transcend into our discussion, as it pertains to the characters, and I want off the hamster wheel-Not trying to convince anybody of anything, just trying to understand. :) LoL!

I know Ami! I think you have reasons (outside of the book) for disliking Anna, and I have reasons (also outside of the book) for disliking Joe. It's crazy. But I also think it feeds into the ambiguities the author is trying to create.

I don't know how I feel about "not guilty by reason of momentary insanity, or mental illness."

I don't think this was an option because he was continuing to tell his lawyer he had permission and that he and Anna were having an affair. I also don't know what the law is in Australia, so this is assumption.

Sarah wrote: "I know Ami! I think you have reasons (outside of the book) for disliking Anna, and I have reasons (also outside of the book) for disliking Joe. It's crazy. But I also think it feeds into the amb..."

:)

I don't think this was an option because he was continuing to tell his lawyer he had permission and that he and Anna were having an affair. I also don't know what the law is in Australia, so this is assumption.
No, no...Not as a verdict, just a reason/excuse.

I'm not sure. Whatever I chose to do, I certainly wouldn't marry the kidnapper. I also don't think I would lie or even hesitate on the stand. Honesty is too important to me.

What this book really needed was for Anna to go to jail for perjury for protecting Sam's kidnapper. That would have helped Sam immensely ;) As Ami is fond of saying, SMH! These people are all insane.

You know, there's a quote from the TV show Medium that just came to me. The DA comments that the people are "Ordinary people under extraordinary pressure". That suits this book.

Sarah wrote: "I'm not sure. Whatever I chose to do, I certainly wouldn't marry the kidnapper. I also don't think I would lie or even hesitate on the stand. Honesty is too important to me.

What this book real..."

What this book really needed was for Anna to go to jail for perjury for protecting Sam's kidnapper. That would have helped Sam immensely ;)
You know something...You're are spot on about this!!! But was it perjury, didn't she within seconds go back to her original statement in Simon not having permission. I thought her actions on the stand created doubt, but it wasn't necessarily considered to be perjury. I don't remember this detail, Sarah, so I could be very wrong.

The DA comments that the people are "Ordinary people under extraordinary pressure". That suits this book.
Brilliant.

No, you're right. They did have it that she just created doubt, I think. I was thinking more about her internal debate. And of course I was being a bit flippant. Shocking, isn't it?

Ami wrote: " ...and I want off the hamster wheel-Not trying to convince anybody of anything, just trying to understand. :) LoL!"

ha! I felt this discussion could spiral around forever if we let it. I can see where other reader's conclusions are coming from and I find myself agreeing and questioning my own initial reactions and conclusions as I read the posts. I turned in my library book yesterday, so I'm officially off the hamster wheel. :)

Yeah, the human nature of the characters makes it too easy to feel strongly.

Linda, aren't you sad to see it go? ;) I want to reread this in a year or two and just read it straight through. See if my opinion changes.

Sarah wrote: "Linda, aren't you sad to see it go? ;)."

Oh yes, I'm definitely sad to see it go. It was such a great pick and we had such an awesome discussion - that was almost better than the book itself, getting to see how each of us reacted to each week's POV. I have SO looked forward to Fridays for the past six weeks! :)

Me too :) I like how the different reactions kind of underline the title of the book.