Book-a-book of the Month Club discussion

Characters! Favorites, least favorites, one's you wish you were friends with, ones that frustrate you? Any and all character characteristics discussed here!

No one character really stood out as overly fantastic but in saying that there were none that i disliked. I think all of them brought what was needed from them. I was however a little more drawn to Lou, he was pretty cool :)

I liked Maggie and felt very bad for her. I thought she was a very interesting character and wish she had been in it more.

Bing: I was fairly confused. I didn't get the sense that he was off,, mentally. I gathered that he had some deep rooted attachment issues and I was expecting those to come full circle along the way. Instead I just felt like he was severly handicapped. Which made it hard to believe that he was capable of getting away with nine such crimes. The motive was sort of there.

I liked Maggie a lot. I too was saddened by her demise. She'd been run aground by her ability. It had taken a toll on her in so many. I felt most depressed about her inability to move on after the flood consumed the library. I imagined that should wanted to stay close because of her predictions with Vic.

Lou was pretty great. He was simple and honest. He was also a wonderful for Vic as a character. There is no doubt in my mind that he made Vic and her situation all that much more believable. He was a nice change from the rest of the characters.

I felt like Death itself was a character in the book. Every single character was fighting it. Maggie was degrading from her skill. Vic was on a path of self-destruction. I got the impression that Charlie himself was dead long ago pretty early on; once he changed into a younger version of himself I thought that was when he died. Chris, straight up died for what seemed like silliness. The kids were dead, until they weren't. And then what seemed like a log in the fire, Lou was suddenly fighting a heart attack/stroke situation.

The cops only seemed to push all the other characters over the edge. It would have been nice if the cops would at least investigate what she was saying. I realize her story would've sounded absolutely crazy, but come-on... would have it hurt anything?

Death on all fronts, coming for all of them or it already had them.

I agree about Lou - I liked him very much as a character because he was a hero that seemed like a real person. Instead of a chisled-jaw hero, we have the every-nerdy-guy-who-is-in-love-with-a-beautiful-woman-who-doesn't-appreciate-who-he-would-die-for type - and he almost does several times. The only thing I did not completely buy about him was his relationship at the end of the book, but other than that a solid character I enjoyed very much!

Are you talking about his relationship with Vic? I'm just going to assume you were talking about his relationship with Tabitha. That came out of nowhere and seemed highly unlikely. Vic, I could see because she needed a base for her state, but I think Tabitha would have had a constant feeling of being 'unchallenged' by Lou. His demeanor and sense of humor would make a pleasant conversation here and there, but I could not and do not see a way that they would date.

Yes - I am refering to Tabitha. The relationship seemed forced. Almost like Hill felt like he had to bookend the story with some sort of happy ending. Not that it was bad that it was a "happy" ending. It just felt kind of cliche.

what do you think about Vic and her mental state? she wants to deny childhood memories of the bridge, but she can't.

I think actually now that you mention it, that was one of the most frustrating elements of the novel for me. I wanted it to be expanded upon more, but they kept sweeping it to the side. I think that is what led to characters like Maggie not having a bigger role. When they introduced Maggie, I thought it was is a pretty cool turn of events. Then, a few pages later, its like it never happened and we don't see her again for 300 pages. From that point, Vic's mental connection to the bridge and her abilities is only hinted at almost until the final confrontation. I just wanted more of it!