I totally agree about Dominick. That book was riveting but simultaneously infuriating and frustrating! I think Thomas is a tragic, loveable character and I felt for him so much, thinking of how scary his illness must have been for him.
I loved both books. I Know This Much Is True really hit hard as I have a paranoid schizophrenic brother. Dominick seemed more like the anti hero to me.
God, I read that book so long ago. I remember really being able to sympathize with Dominick...he was so wonderfully and so awfully human. I think that he's one of the most intricately well-developed characters in modern literature. I thought it was fascinating the way Wally Lamb drew parallels between the two brothers...
What did all of you think of the date rape passage?
This doesn't have to do with the question posted, just a statement. In The Pact, I was a little disappointed that they mentioned the sexual abuse at McDonalds but after that it is never mentioned again. I was hoping that it would come into play again. Like a "bam" to shed light on a subject later in the book to another character.
me too! I really thought her diary would expose it or it would be brought up with her art at the trial. That was disappointing because it would have let the family feel like they could understand that ok, if she was abused, then yah she had a reason to feel like killing herself. But without it, they were just left thinking that she had the perfect life and chris must have killed her.
Plus I think that NOT telling her family or chris about the abuse was inconsistent with her character.
Yeah, I agree with you both. It was frustrating that it never came out at all during the trial.
Similarly, I was hoping they drew something more from that story about when Chris killed the rabbit when he was younger and was very upset by it.
Finally, I hate how everyone said Emily didn't act differently than usual, especially thinking back on the scene when she was having dinner with her parents and stormed off to her room without eating dinner. Also, how did no one notice how much more she was sleeping?
The blank note was a very interesting ending. I thought it also sort of paralelled the blank notebook left out in Emily's room, from when she tried to write a suicide note but couldn't think of what to say.
It kind of came up again with the art therapist, although the details never came out to Chris or her family.
I had mixed feelings about the ending of the novel. I wanted things to get resolved between the two families, and I wanted the truth to come out about why Emily was depressed. However, I also liked that they kept some things unresolved, because in the real world not all secrets come out, and sometimes relationships- even the strongest ones- never get repaired. Nothing is more annoying than a book where a happy ending seems forced and unnatural. =)
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What did all of you think of the date rape passage?
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Sidenote: Wally Lamb lives in my hometown and I Know This Much Is True is based in my area (names changed). He's a really nice guy.
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Plus I think that NOT telling her family or chris about the abuse was inconsistent with her character.
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Similarly, I was hoping they drew something more from that story about when Chris killed the rabbit when he was younger and was very upset by it.
Finally, I hate how everyone said Emily didn't act differently than usual, especially thinking back on the scene when she was having dinner with her parents and stormed off to her room without eating dinner. Also, how did no one notice how much more she was sleeping?
The blank note was a very interesting ending. I thought it also sort of paralelled the blank notebook left out in Emily's room, from when she tried to write a suicide note but couldn't think of what to say.
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I had mixed feelings about the ending of the novel. I wanted things to get resolved between the two families, and I wanted the truth to come out about why Emily was depressed. However, I also liked that they kept some things unresolved, because in the real world not all secrets come out, and sometimes relationships- even the strongest ones- never get repaired. Nothing is more annoying than a book where a happy ending seems forced and unnatural. =)
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