Book-a-book of the Month Club discussion

Discuss the characters here - favorites, least favorites, etc.

I have to say Fermin is probably my favorite. He's so funny and is such a talker. I feel like he's someone you can hang out with and he'll carry the whole conversation. Lol!

I also enjoy Fermin a lot! What I have liked so far is how sharp each character is. I am not sure if that descriptor is a good one, but it just feels like the author wasn't lazy with any of his characters.

No the author wasn't lazy at all. I finished the book. I got to the last quarter of it and couldn't put it down. There are so many characters but yet because the author is so vivid in his details you feel as if you know all of them so well. As much as I thought Fermin was great, I hated Femuro. This book was great!

I am still just part way through, but so far one of the great things, too, about these characters is when I first meet one, I start to make assumptions about their role based on my typical literary experience. But, the author takes them in a totally different direction; a seemingly unimportant character becomes important, a seemingly nice character is not so nice, etc. Keeps me guessing!

I think I mentioned that we are reading this for my face-to-face book club in October, so I am infinitely glad this thread will still be here then.

Oh so you're going to wait til Oct to read the book? Are we going to have too many spoilers for you? :)

Josen wrote: "Oh so you're going to wait til Oct to read the book? Are we going to have too many spoilers for you? :)"

Don't worry about me! I'll wait, but only because I lead the book club so need the book fairly fresh in my mind. I don't want to plan on re-reading in case I don't love it so I will wait until the week before we meet.

I don't mind spoilers anyway. It's the actual writing of the books I love, story and surprises are lovely bonuses.

Fumero and Carax - They seem less that physical characters and more like the personification of good and evil. While they form the crux of the story, they really actually have very little page time. It is interesting to me that they are so important to the story, but they are more talked about than seen.

I loved Fermin's presence in the book. I felt Fermin was a necessary character to provide comic relief, insight and transition through the story. This story wouldn't have succeeded without him.

Fumero is very much personified as evil, particularly through the descriptions of Fermin and others. You are right- they don't get nearly as much page time themselves, as they are more focal points for other characters' conversations.

I kind of viewed Carax as the tortured artist, more than the personification of good. I thought Carax symbolized disillusionment. For example, in the beginning of the story, I visualized Carax as a brilliant, young writer who was perhaps victim to a terrible tragedy, with someone out to destroy all traces of him and his books. The way he was talked about was almost as if he were an idol, somewhat glamorized. Later, after finding out that Carax was alive, destroying all his own books, and cold as ice to everyone (except Daniel, apparently), I felt there was a heaviness of sad reality that had set in. It's the same theme of disillusionment that set in when Carax realized Penelope had passed away.

Good point about Carax!

I keep thinking about this book and the fact that I cannot remember a book where two main characters received such little time actually present. But it worked - and the way it worked was brilliant!