2017 Reading Challenge discussion

We are reading the Dog Stars by Peter Heller this Febuary.
Please feel free to join or comment if you have already read this book.
Hopefully we'll get some conversations started...

February not Febuary!!!!!

Good catch!

I'm 20% into the novel and am not enjoying the choppy sentences. To me they are pretty distracting since I have to reread the sentences to get their full meaning.

I have this on my shelf, I'll try to join in on the buddy read this month!

Great!!!

I am 37% of the way and waiting for something to happen....

I just started and agree the choppy sentences are distracting but hopefully the story makes it worth the effort.

I just finished book 1 and have mixed emotions about this novel. I expected at least a bit of suspense developing at some point - after all it is dystopian fiction.

I'd happily trade all the fishing references for a little bit of excitement!

Hopefully book2 will be better...

I like it so far but it's not what I thought it would be.

Sigh...so nothing exciting happens?

Book 2 seems a bit better now. It helps that I switched to the audiobook so the choppy sentences don't bother me as much.

Finished book 2 and I'm really enjoying it now.

I'm just on chapter 11 but yes, so weird about the choppy sentences.

I have gotten used to Hig's choppy/fragmented sentences. It definitely lends to his character. It certainly is not the post-apocalyptic novel I expected.

I agree. I liked it so much better once I adjusted my expectations- then I was able to get into the story and enjoy the book.

I just finished book one

I'm sooo sad

I got choked up too :-(

I just started and I am excited to read it! He is a good author.

Welcome Melissa! I'm glad I didn't say what I was sad about, I wasn't sure where everyone was in the story.

Almost done with the book but I keep thinking about the dog. I miss Jasper! I like that the book is about the basic struggle of life when the world ends. Look forward to the second book.

I'm almost done too, and I'm really liking it. I really love all the characters and their story of love and survival.

I finished and enjoyed the story even though the writing style drove me crazy at first.

Do you think the short choppy sentences are because the author is not "highly intelligent"? Not saying he is not smart, but the author describes himself as not very smart. Maybe it's a clear reflection of how he thinks. Short and choppy thoughts.

I thought it might be that after 9 years of little interaction with other people and no real stimulating conversations his entire way of communication changedas well. Like his outer life his inner thoughts were in survival mode - no unnecessary "fillers", just plain and very stripped down sentences.
His main companion Jasper didn't need verbal communication to connect with him so looks, gestures and short commands most likely replaced a lot of the verbal interaction he would have had with another human. Bangley (I think that's his name) doesn't sound like a man of many words ;-)

I think the choppy sentences are a result of the brain damage caused by the fever he experienced. It's difficult for me to believe the spoke so poorly in his everyday life before the world ended.

I agree with Regine, the lack of communication and strong focus on basic day to day survival most likely led to a decrease in communication. Bangley wasn't one for words, Jasper as a dog, could listen but could not participate in conversations. Even later as he found others, the verbal communication still remained limited. The development with Cima unfolded more through physical expression then through discussion.

You all have such great theories! One thing to consider, the pilot is the only one who talks/thinks this way. No one else has difficulty with conversation and they have all been through a similar tragedy. How do you account for the difference?

It's only been 3 weeks since I finished the book and I've already forgotten a lot about it. As far as I recall we never heard the other characters' inner thoughts, so we don't know how "choppy" their thoughts would have been. Also the father-daughter relationship allowed for more intimacy and conversations, so their relationship was different than the Hig/Jasper and Hig/Bangley ones.
I also switched to the audio book which made the short sentences less obvious.
Do you recall if Hig's sentences become more complex (in proportion to the time he spends with the man and his daughter)?

I've gotten tangled up in other novels and have forgotten the details. Reader's received a more intimate experience with Hig; the other character's thoughts were not shared as freely. The only relationships that existed that would support language were Cima and her father. Bangley and Hig did not exchange words much, the relationship was more tactical. The difference most likely can be attributed to circumstance. Had Hig been with Cima and her father at the beginning, his language and thoughts would have been more fully developed. Of course one could surmise that Hig could have been psychologically altered by the tragedy and whether he was with people or not, his language would deteriorate due to depression/shock/loss, etc.