Play Book Tag discussion

I want to introduce you to Vivian or Viv, because she loves palindromes. She is the protagonist of Caitriona Lally's debut novel Eggshells and she is a hoot, but her parent's thought she was a changeling. Because they thought she was a changeling and wouldn't be sticking around too long they named her younger sister Vivian as well.

Viv has inherited her great aunt's house and is concerned about making it her own:
I walk back to my great-aunt’s house, which I have to start calling home. When I enter the house I catch the beginning of my smell, an earthy tang that I plan to grow into. There won’t be many visitors to dilute my smell. My sister called over in January but she didn’t stay long—I think I was her New Year’s resolution. She bothers me to clean the house and get rid of chairs and find a job. Her world is full of children and doings and action verbs, but I’m uncomfortable with verbs; they expect too much.

Lally tells Viv's story in first person stream of consciousness and we learn what Viv does on a daily basis. She takes a daily walk which she later plots out. Her walk usually has a plan, often with the intent of finding her way back to where she should be as she is a changeling. One day she heads down Lemon Street with the idea of giving it true meaning:

I walk through to Lemon Street, check that there’s no one behind me, and drop a piece of fruit every couple of steps. When my bag is empty, I look back. The street looks like it has been lemon-bombed.

Viv is well intentioned but she is often the person which others look away from and avoid contact with at all costs. She has trouble with too many words and just turns off after a certain number. She is also the person who might say or do anything and there are many laugh out loud moments.

What there isn't is plot. I love a book with a story and I am a proponent of the story is all, but in Lally's book we follow Viv day after day waiting for explanation or something to happen...at the end we were given explanation, but was it enough.

I look forward to reading more from Lally because I really enjoyed Viv, and I hope others will give it a try, but I found it trying.

"but I’m uncomfortable with verbs; they expect too much."

That statement made me laugh. Sounds like my idea of retirement.
Thanks for this review. It sounds interesting.

Jgrace wrote: ""but I’m uncomfortable with verbs; they expect too much."

That statement made me laugh. Sounds like my idea of retirement.
Thanks for this review. It sounds interesting."

There really are so many funny things in the book and it was interesting, but a bit too much.

I think though it illustrates what it is like inside of a person's head with mental illness. It gave a very clear picture of peoples reactions to her inappropriate behavior and her response or lack there of.

She visits her sister and says"The visit has been two-thirds successful because only one child cried and their mother didn’t..

Riding with her friend she says Penelope sighs and swerves to avoid a cyclist, who roars something I can’t hear. She drives like a Don’t Drink and Drive ad, she drives with a rattle and a wallop and a clang and a bang.

I did start listening to it and thought the reader seemed good, but I'm more comfortable with print.

I have this one on my shelf. It sounds like a good look at mental illness touched with humor, something we don't see often. I'll try to get to it soon.

Tracy wrote: "I have this one on my shelf. It sounds like a good look at mental illness touched with humor, something we don't see often. I'll try to get to it soon."

I think you have to be in the right mood for it. I had to put it down and when I picked it back up, I felt much better about it.