Don't look at this thread (until you are at least half way through the book)! It will be very difficult not to have spoilers if we read in different orders - so everyone will need to govern themselves.
I've read all the other books on our list, but I just can't bring myself to read this one, and I feel like a scam for refusing it.
To be honest, the writing is good, but I didn't like it at all. As I said, I found the premise pretty wierd. The parents had to have been very screwed up to come up with this situation as a solution. Talk about dis-functional.
@Lindzee Was there a lot of abuse or cruelty in the story? I guess that's what I'm not feeling up to.
I really wasn't up to it either and never will be... In my opinion yes - there was a lot of psychological abuse from the get go - the whole premise was psychologically abusive in my opinion. And finally, it did have physical abuse as well. I was into the book before I realized the story behind the story, so to speak... It is basically about a small child discovering his very limited world and finally whats so very wrong with it. He finds beauty in deformity and ridicule of perfection because this is all he knows, but he dreams of light and a perfect beauty he has not yet seen, but somehow knows it must exist. The twisted circumstance is the sad core of this novel. The problem I had is that this family sacrificed one child for another. I refuse to read Sophie's Choice for this very reason. I cannot abide or believe favoring one child over another. I also could not reconcile how these parents could be so ignorant and stupid on many other levels. Maybe someone who liked the book could pipe in with reasons why it was readable - honestly @Tiff : go ahead and skip - there are tons of great reads out there to enjoy this summer. I just did Mystic River, which was a bit heavy, and a few by Celina Grace, which weren't happy go lucky but great reads anyway.
@Lindzee , I think I will skip it for now. I'll come back and read the discussion here, though, and maybe reconsider later.
I am skipping it too. but for those who want to read it it is on special offer on the kindle version today for 1.99.
This one FINALLY came via my library request. While I've read your spoilers (Spoilers! yes, I can see River saying that) I am still going to read it. As it's a new book at our library, I'll have to read fast.
I thought it was excellent and read it in one day. I can imagine this kind of thing happening on an isolated island as was referenced finally mid book. When they were eating so many root vegetables it made me think of the areas of northern Canada and Scotland. Carrots and potatoes...and no reference to any fresh meat or fish.