Reader's Ink discussion

Which girl (woman) was your favorite? Which one did you most identify with?

I've been working on this to get it narrowed down to what I feel is one that is a lot like me, and one that I really liked. I'm still studying the options, will come back with my answer.

I'm not sure I could pick a favorite, but I abhorred April. I hated how the author wrote her, I hated her decisions … my fingers are crossed that the page after the book ended was Sally calling in the nurse and asking to change her daughter's name (and yes, it bugged me that her dead mom got relegated to the middle name, even ignoring the reveal of April's felony).

In my head, April goes to jail for a long time and comes out still liberal but possessing at least a modicum of actual intelligence. She becomes a prison reformer, vowing to end the abuse of female prisoners.

Sorry, I'm sucking as discussion leader this time around.

Anyway, I kept getting Sally and Celia mixed up. April was the only one with a SUPER clear identity, mainly because she was so extreme. Overall, I think I liked Bree best. She was the most complex.

April was a caricature of a radical feminist, which bugged me. To boot, she was always under someone's control. I thought the dynamic between her and Ronnie WAS interesting, paralleling Ronnie with an abusive, controlling partner, keeping her in her place for the sake of ideology---so, a flipping of sexism, in a way.

With Bree, I was glad Sullivan dodged romanticizing her relationship, just because it's a lesbian one--a common trap of those who include such plots.

I liked the idea of this radical feminist ending up under the sway of a controlling woman (mirroring the sort of patriarchal down-with-marriage relationship April would denounce if it were heterosexual) but, as you said, April was such a caricature that the it lacked all bite.

With Bree, wouldn't it have been interesting if she broke up with the college girlfriend, had the same arc of flirting with guys … but ended the book with a different woman?