Coffee Club with a Reading Problem discussion

Dec 2014

This one is going to be hard to review. I'll try to get the questionnaire filled out ASAP. (And, Jocelyn, it'll be back in the Groton Library tomorrow.)

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU READ THE BOOK SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

Coffee Club With a Reading Problem Monthly Book Questionnaire
Share what you thought about this month's book! Give as many details as you can!

1. What was your initial impression when you started the book? Were you immediately drawn into the story, or did it take you a while? Did your opinion of the book change by the end? If so, why?

My initial impression was "too much back-story/set-up, not enough of the present." It's a short book, and I remember the first few pages trying to squeeze in a history of where they were and what they were doing, but I think it would have been better if that was held off for a little longer. I think there should have been more development of the characters and their present environment in those opening pages.
And then I was longing for more information on the characters for the rest of the book (that never really came). We know more about Area X than we know about the people that were there! My opinion didn't really change over the course of the book.

2. Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you, or did you have a different response to the book?

There were a few snippets here and there that had me thinking and guessing (the biologist constantly referring to the tunnel as a "tower", it being alive, the plants and animals having bits of human in them), but usually the ideas I got in my head were more exciting than what came about in the book.
The over-powered hypnotism was annoying. That was a stretch for me. Also, the willingness of these people to go to Area X after eleven known expeditions failed. The biologist was the only person with any real reason to be there. Well, actually, the other people could have had reasons but we never learned a damn thing about them.
I get that the book is trying to be vague and secretive and clever, but this isn't the first book I've read with this kind of idea, and it's certainly not the best of the ones I've read.

3. Did you find the characters convincing? Were they believable? Compelling? Did you consider them fully-developed or one-dimensional? Did they grow or change? Who were your favorite and least favorite characters (and why)?

Ha! I'd like to respond to this question with another question: What characters?
Okay, I'm only partially kidding. What the biologist revealed about herself and her past, I found intriguing. I wanted to go back earlier in her life and read that story. I wanted to know more about her husband and see more of him. The two of them together seemed intriguing. If this particular story had started at an earlier point in her life and covered more about the biologist and her husband, and then the last 195 pages of that story was this book, I'd probably be appeased. I would have felt something then. There would have been a real loss. Instead, I don't know any of these people, and I don't care about any of them. I don't care about Area X because it doesn't feel real, because the characters didn't feel real.
I kind of wanted to displace the biologist and her husband and put them into a different story a la "Take these skeleton characters, develop them more, and give them a story they deserve instead of this nonsense."

4. Was the plot well-developed? Was it believable? Did you feel manipulated along the way, or did the plot events unfold naturally or organically?

Honestly, I'm not even sure what the plot was here. I'm surprised this is part of a series. I don't really understand what the intention/purpose of it is.

5. Was the pacing of the story to your liking? Would you consider the story more plot-driven (events unfolding quickly) or character-driven (more time spent developing characters' inner lives), and did that style work?

I think there should have been more development overall. Develop the characters, develop the world, build up to the eleventh expedition, the aftermath, and then the twelfth, and I think it would have been a much better story.

6. Did you expect the ending or were you surprised? Did you find the ending satisfying, or did you want it to end a different way?

I may be entirely wrong, and I'd like to hear others ideas about this, but my impression of Area X and the glow-in-the-dark God fungus (as I've dubbed it) is that its the Doomsday Device, the End of Days, the Return Everything to Primordial Soup Device, hence the breaking down of the humans and combining them with other living organisms...and the fact that Area X was expanding. That's the best I can come up with for the living structure, the living writing, the mysterious "Crawler" that was also the man from the lighthouse...

Japanese literature plays with this idea relatively frequently. I've read two comics with a similar idea to what I've described above. Neon Genesis Evangelion Vol.01 has the same "humanity combines and dissolves" idea (though it has a very relatable protagonist, random Christian references/imagery, and giant creepy robots).
Arm of Kannon Volume 1 through 4 use Buddhist iconography for a similar end (the titular "Arm of Kannon" infects a host and obliterates all of creation through gratuitous sex and violence).
God is Dead has a Western and much more humorous take on a similar idea.
I even had flashbacks of Diary in regards to the layers of mystery and the idea of compulsion and history repeating itself (the biologist had such a hard time looking away from the writing, the journals, the Crawler...)
Again, this was my interpretation, and I could be way off base. I'm interested to hear if anyone had a different take on it.

7. Based on this book, would you be interested in continuing the series (if applicable) and/or reading other books by the same author? Is there anything you'd like to ask the author after finishing their book?

I don't really want to read more, but I admit that I am curious about where the author can take it from here. If I come across the second book in the library or a bookstore, I'll pick it up and see how the second book starts, but that's a "if I see it" statement. I'm not going looking for it.

While I didn't like this book (it just didn't work for me), it's one of the rare cases where I can recognize why other people would love it.

Kaitlin wrote: "SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU READ THE BOOK SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

Coffee Club With a Reading Problem Monthly Book Questionnaire
Share what you thought about this month's bo..."

Good god woman! You are the fastest reader I think I've ever known!

Ha, I like to get the club books done right away so that I have the rest of the month to try to tackle my reading list. It also helped that this book is very short. I got half of it read while the kids I babysit were napping. 'twas also a library book, and I try not to keep those around too long or else I'll misplace them.

It really is a quick read though!

Kaitlin wrote: "This one is going to be hard to review. I'll try to get the questionnaire filled out ASAP. (And, Jocelyn, it'll be back in the Groton Library tomorrow.)"

HAHAHAHAAH I'm just gonna buy this one I think. Hopefully I can read my own pick this month. My job sucks the life and time out of me.

I finished this one last night. Even before I finished, I had been itching to see what others thought in this thread, but I was determined to avoid spoilers.

Edit: Spoilers, oops.

I enjoyed reading your take on the book Kaitlin (eventhough my experience of it was almost the polar opposite). I do share your interpretations of the purpose of the glowing fungus as a sort of bio doomsday element.

I'll try to find some time to day to do the detailed discussion topics, but I will say that I enjoyed Annihilation and I will probably be starting the next book today (It isn't supposed to pick up where this left off, and is said to have a different plot style entirely).

I'm about half way through right now and I'm not sure how I feel about this book. The narration is so... scientific. I get how it works in relation to the character, but it feels like it's alienating me by removing the emotions I've come to expect from stories like this.

And psychologically, it's doing a number on me. I can't listen to it at night when I'm alone at home. The house is too dark and big for that. Maybe it's partially due to the fact that I'm listening to it on my commute to work and half of that is a night, driving through forested highway, but it's unnerving and kinda gives me the heebie-jeebies.

REVIEW

1. What was your initial impression when you started the book? Were you immediately drawn into the story, or did it take you a while? Did your opinion of the book change by the end? If so, why?

Initially, I wasn’t very into the book. The description on Amazon sounded alright, but it didn’t stand out to me. I was very hesitant about idea of the people being defined by their roles- a feeling that never truly left me as I made my way through the book.

I’m not really sure I could say that I was ever drawn into the story. I experienced it remotely. Perhaps it was the point of the narrative, but it read like a scientific journal. Every piece of emotion was removed. The only thing that remained for me was the relentlessness of the account and the feeling that the atmosphere was bleeding over into my own life. Or maybe that means I was extremely drawn into the story.



2. Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you, or did you have a different response to the book?

The book made me uncomfortable. I was jumpy and “off center” immediately after listening to it- especially after the long evening drives on the way home. I think experiencing the book whilst driving at night wasn’t a good thing for me. The odd thing is, that I didn’t find it alienating per se, just relentless. I wanted the narrator to stop telling me things as much as she wanted to be able to stop telling them too me.

I felt the atmosphere keenly. Mold, decay, and being so very alone. Even when the characters were with each other, the sense of aloneness was very compelling. The atmosphere and the small disturbing changes to the animals got into my head and made me want to wriggle out of my own skin, just leave the story behind. This could be a personal thing, though. I do have a fear of animals being anthropomorphised, especially when this occurs in such a dark and disturbing narrative landscape as this.

I was thrown off by the ending. I didn’t know what I expected in regards to the strangeness of Area X, but to have it suddenly compared to an extraterrestrial invasion felt like an abrupt course correction that I didn’t see coming. I felt like those few paragraphs cheapened it a bit. Even though I found the story uncomfortable and the atmosphere disturbing, I was ok with it. I was ok with leaving it a mystery. I thought the character’s self journey was conclusion enough.



3. Did you find the characters convincing? Were they believable? Compelling? Did you consider them fully-developed or one-dimensional? Did they grow or change? Who were your favorite and least favorite characters (and why)?

I have conflicting feelings about the characters. On one hand, I didn’t like the stripping of the names and the choice to voice the story through the very scientific Biologist. DOn’t misunderstand, I understand the choice, I just didn’t like it. It felt too removed. It was always holding back, and while this completely matches her character, as a reader, I found it completely unsatisfying. In the end, I felt like her husband because I always wanted more from her. This, in turn, made me feel bad knowing that this same desire in her husband was a source of strife and unhappiness for her.

In the beginning, as they were walking down the first path and met the wild boar, I felt like they were characterchures and their voices seemed forced based on their respective stereotypes. But then their personalities began to unravel and I saw each of them in a new light. I don’t want to go so far as saying that they were expertly designed, but I do have a respect for the author’s choice of revelation speed. They became human to me slowly and I craved to know them better.

My favorite and least favorite characters were one in the same: the Psychologist. She was such a contradiction. And in true form, she intrigued and repulsed me in turn. I felt her death scene was (realistically) too long, but at the same time I wanted to ask her more questions.



4. Was the plot well-developed? Was it believable? Did you feel manipulated along the way, or did the plot events unfold naturally or organically?

Once again, I don’t know. I feel like the plot was well developed, but it frustrated me with how little we were shown of the area and the characters and the towns and EVERYTHING. Was it believable? At first, no. Then, when I became immersed, yes.

Other than the alien idea proposed at the end of the book, I felt like the plot did unfold at an organic pace.



5. Was the pacing of the story to your liking? Would you consider the story more plot-driven (events unfolding quickly) or character-driven (more time spent developing characters' inner lives), and did that style work?

This book definitely seemed to be character driven. I feel like the point was more to explore the biologist’s personality and life. She’s on a quest for answers about herself, her husband, and their relationship. Her quest through Area X seems to mimic that.

The pacing felt slow to me, though again, I feel like it was what was needed when you compare it to the characters. It worked, even if it drove me nuts.



6. Did you expect the ending or were you surprised? Did you find the ending satisfying, or did you want it to end a different way?

No. It was not satisfying in the least to me. I wanted to know more about the door at the bottom of the tower. I wanted to know what came of her husband. I wanted to sit and read more of journals in the lighthouse. I wanted to know why were the government thought the people and their notes so disposable that they just kept throwing them out into Area X. How did they monitor the expedition's progress? Why was the cache of journals hidden?



7. Based on this book, would you be interested in continuing the series (if applicable) and/or reading other books by the same author? Is there anything you'd like to ask the author after finishing their book?

No, I don’t think I’m going to read more. I found the atmosphere too oppressive and unsettling. It was psychologically taxing on me.



Misc Notes
We’ve only been doing this conclusion’s format for the last two books, but I’m enjoying it. I find it strange, but for both books, it almost feels like I don’t know how I feel about the book until I’m writing this up. My initial opinions change as I’m forced to reflect on the story as a whole.

Club Questions - Contains Spoilers

1. What was your initial impression when you started the book? Were you immediately drawn into the story, or did it take you a while? Did your opinion of the book change by the end? If so, why?

I felt drawn in from the beginning, even the first page. There was an eerie loneliness punctuated by unease that seemed effortless for the author. It stuck with me even when I wasn't reading too Deb. I know you guys weren't fans of the lack of character background in general, but the lack of a "getting to know the characters backgrounds hump" near the beginning also helped me jump right in. I know that sounds odd, but I will elaborate in the character section. I feel like the mood I described earlier permeated the entire book, and only intensified as it moved on.

2. Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you, or did you have a different response to the book?

I was intrigued and disturbed but in a good way. I wish I could say that with a little less enthusiasm, but I can't. The fact that the story is told from the pov of the scientist, and the background of the entire expedition professes to be exploration and documentation, lead me into the story in that frame of mind from the start. Questioning, and as events unfolded, more questioning. At first my questions were focused on the environment of Area X, and then on what the other characters specific and unrevealed mission objectives might be, and then on what this government agency's deceptions were and what was their actual aim... And where the hell does that door at the end of the tunnel (tower) go?!...And Why do they leave the journals in a pile in the lighthouse? and.... you get the point. Few of these were actually answered, but for me that wasn't a problem. In other stories the real explanation is usually a let down anyhow.

Also, did it seriously freak anyone else out that after she read her husband's journal it is confirmed that her husband's (and other expedition member) clone type things were able to cross the "boundary" from Area X. That still freaks me out.

3. Did you find the characters convincing? Were they believable? Compelling? Did you consider them fully-developed or one-dimensional? Did they grow or change? Who were your favorite and least favorite characters (and why)?

OK, he did not give us background on characters aside from the biologist and her husband, and they didn't even really get actual names. Like you guys, I get why he did it. It worked for me for several reasons though. As the story was from the biologist's perspective, I feel like it informed her personality a little...her tendency (even preference) for isolation etc.. I also feel like it added greatly to layered revelation structure of the story (even though I will allow that more of those revelations could have contained background on the others). More importantly for me, it added weight to the idea that their training was intense and administered by an agency that didn't value them beyond their titles and was probably untrustworthy even beyond that. Though I guess the number one reason that the general lack of background didn't bother me is subjective and emotional. After reading the summary before the book you get the sense that the odds of anyone returning from this Area X are slim. It was easier for me to get into the story knowing that I wasn't going to be gutted every time a beloved character kicked it. I could almost relax and enjoy the intrigue without obsessively peering around the corner dreading the next offing. I will say that I didn't particularly identify with any character. I had a distant respect for the biologist. I didn't have a least favorite character.

4. Was the plot well-developed? Was it believable? Did you feel manipulated along the way, or did the plot events unfold naturally or organically?

I felt like the plot unfolded naturally. I went into the book with a willingness to suspend my disbelief on a certain level, so the hypnotic suggestions didn't strike me as more or less believable than anything else they experienced. Nothing really broke the spell of the book for me. Though, There was a point near the middle when a bunch of bad crap had already happened and they were still treating things like a calm scientific sample collection expedition, and I was annoyed for about 3 pages.

5. Was the pacing of the story to your liking? Would you consider the story more plot-driven (events unfolding quickly) or character-driven (more time spent developing characters' inner lives), and did that style work?

The pacing worked for me. I think if you can call Area X a character, then the story was character driven. My experience of the book was almost like it was about the biologist meeting Area X and slowly realizing she would be staying (wanted to stay) in some form or another. I almost felt like the resolution of the relationship with her husband was secondary.

6. Did you expect the ending or were you surprised? Did you find the ending satisfying, or did you want it to end a different way?

I had no real idea what to expect. I didn't want it to end any other way in particular. There are just so many deliciously unanswered questions though....arrg. I think the thing that I would most like to know that was talked about, teased about, was - What the hell is the border, and why is crossing it so traumatic? The freaking psychologist knew, and didn't share.

7. Based on this book, would you be interested in continuing the series (if applicable) and/or reading other books by the same author? Is there anything you'd like to ask the author after finishing their book?

I am currently reading the next book Authority.

Also, here is something random and not really having to do with the story at all, but I feel like giving praise where it is due. I read the paperback in hand, and I loved the cover design. It felt perfect and minimal but textural. It just fit the book well. Yum.

I really liked the cover and inner design as well. It was a good-looking book. Like you said, credit where credit is due.

Still talking SPOILERS here!

I was reading through the questionnaires again and was wondering...

Deb, where did they imply there were aliens? I don't remember reading anything that made it sound specifically like aliens. Are you referring to when the Biologist encounters the Crawler and has that weird painful "taken over" experience?

Kaitlin wrote: "Deb, where did they imply there were aliens? I don't remember reading anything that made it sound specifically like aliens. "

I couldn't tell you specifically, since I work from the audio version, but it was very late in the book where she was comparing Area X to a thorn stuck into the land. Something in the language used made my mind jump to extraterrestrial.

Jodi write: "Also, did it seriously freak anyone else out that after she read her husband's journal it is confirmed that her husband's (and other expedition member) clone type things were able to cross the "boundary" from Area X. That still freaks me out."

Remotely, yes I was a little freaked out by that idea. Makes me wonder how many clones are out there, wandering around? I think I'd be more freaked out in general if it wasn't for the fact that they seem to have a biological expiration date. I was actually more freaked out by the fact that she had sex with the freaky clone!

"Kaitlin wrote: "Deb, where did they imply there were aliens? I don't remember reading anything that made it sound specifically like aliens. "

Deb wrote: I couldn't tell you specifically, since I work from the audio version, but it was very late in the book where she was comparing Area X to a thorn stuck into the land. Something in the language used made my mind jump to extraterrestrial.


On page 190 and 191, when the biologist is thinking about what the lighthouse keeper experienced right after the "thorn" imagery, he uses the language that I think is what Deb was caught by. "...if it has intelligence, that intelligence is far different from our own. It creates of our ecosystem a new world, whose processes are utterly alien...". In the same description he also uses the words assimilator, encounters, and creatures. I can see where all of these things together made Deb think alien.

My overall thoughts when reading it were that this was the language of the prose selected to convey a feeling of the invasive nature of Area X, and the origins were probably something of a "failed" military super biologic weapon suggested in the beginning. But I guess we really don't know either way do we? Dag nab it.

Deb wrote: Remotely, yes I was a little freaked out by that idea. Makes me wonder how many clones are out there, wandering around? I think I'd be more freaked out in general if it wasn't for the fact that they seem to have a biological expiration date. I was actually more freaked out by the fact that she had sex with the freaky clone!

Perhaps she was infected by area X even before she breathed the spores. Eww.

Jodi wrote: "Perhaps she was infected by area X even before she breathed the spores. Eww. "

Gross. What would have happened if she had gotten pregnant? Could she have? Maybe that was goal of the clones to infiltrate the "normal" world and mix the genes even more?

Jodi, you're reading #2, correct? I think you mentioned that it was a different style. Has it offered any theories or explanations? (I don't need to hear them, I'm just curious if the mystery will ever be solved.)

Kaitlin wrote: "Jodi, you're reading #2, correct? I think you mentioned that it was a different style. Has it offered any theories or explanations? (I don't need to hear them, I'm just curious if the mystery will ..."

Book 2 has given much more info so far, yes. I'm only about a third of the way in though.