YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

In a vast, mysterious house on the cliffs near Dover, the Silver family is reeling from the hole punched into its heart. Lily is gone and her twins, Miranda and Eliot, and her husband, the gentle Luc, mourn her absence with unspoken intensity. All is not well with the house, either, which creaks and grumbles and malignly confuses visitors in its mazy rooms, forcing winter apples in the garden when the branches should be bare. Generations of women inhabit its walls. And Miranda, with her new appetite for chalk and her keen sense for spirits, is more attuned to them than she is to her brother and father. She is leaving them slowly -

Slipping away from them -

And when one dark night she vanishes entirely, the survivors are left to tell her story.

"Miri I conjure you "

This is a spine-tingling tale that has Gothic roots but an utterly modern sensibility. Told by a quartet of crystalline voices, it is electrifying in its expression of myth and memory, loss and magic, fear and love.

White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi will be our 1st GBR for August 2021.

Please read at your own pace, and hide any spoilers ☺ You are welcome to join at any time during the month ☺

Happy Reading Everybody!

Pre-Reading Questions -

Anybody got any thoughts on this one before we start?

Has anyone read anything similar to this before?

Anybody read anything else by this author previously?

22% (view spoiler)[ So far I am not into this. Maybe it will get interesting. I like Elliot, and Miranda I feel bad for because of her PICA and she eats chalk mostly. I don't know if I like the writing style, sometimes I feel the house is telling the story, sometimes Elliot, others Miranda. I like that Lily agreed to move back to the house. I'm at he part with the letters the girls left Miri, I gotta say... little creepy. Maybe it will pick up since we might start seeing ghosts... (hide spoiler)]

41% (view spoiler)[ Miranda almost got killed by those Kosavan girls! I am liking Sade but what does she really know? That was so crazy about Jennifer. I think I am starting to decipher when the house speaks. We finally find out that Miri does see ghosts and so did Lilly and Elliot knows about it. I think Jalil is so cute with those sunflowers lol and at least Miranda wasn't rude about not accepting them but rude about closing the door on his face. (hide spoiler)]

56% (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

63% (view spoiler)[ I cannot imagine eating an orange peel. I like this ore girl. I'm curious about Miranda now. I hope meeting Ore can be a good change for her. I also wonder if Ore can see ghosts? Clairvoyant? (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ Ok towards the end the book got a little insane. Poor Ore she just was way over her head. I was glad that Sade was ok and finally left the house. I can't believe Miranda is missing, yea the house has her. I feel so bad for Elliot I want to comfort him. Luc is so hopeful that Miranda will come back, Elliot knows better. (hide spoiler)]

25% (view spoiler)[Honestly don't like this book at all so far. The writing style is slightly confusing. I like Miri but I definitely feel bad for her. (hide spoiler)]

Cinthia wrote: "22% [spoilers removed]"

Same the writing style is interesting. I'm getting mixed up as to who's supposed to be telling the story

50%: (view spoiler)[I like that Miri made sure Ore got her interview done and over with. I don't like Eliot and how much he judges Miri. It's also interesting that she can see ghosts. (hide spoiler)]

Cinthia wrote: "41% [spoilers removed]"

Right, those girls are some bitches

75%: (view spoiler)[I really like Ore. I feel like she is making Miranda happier by being with her. It's interesting that they are getting together tho. Didn't expect that. (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[I honestly didn't like this book at all. The writing style wasn't for me. I felt bad for Miranda and Ore. Poor Ore didn't realize what she had signed up for. (hide spoiler)]

Cinthia wrote: "Finished [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[The whole thing with the house taking her was weird. (hide spoiler)]

Wolf (Alpha) wrote: "25% [spoilers removed]"

I guess it takes some getting used it... i wasn't able to lol

Wolf (Alpha) wrote: "50%: [spoilers removed]"

I love Ore. Yea, (view spoiler)[ I like Elliot, I just think he doesn't understand Miri and is mad that she just can't eat. (hide spoiler)]

Wolf (Alpha) wrote: "Finished: [spoilers removed]"

Good thing she was able to get out.

Cinthia wrote: "22% [spoilers removed]"

This first part is quite unusual. The interview made me laugh, and Miri is a character I find intriguing.

First quarter - this is definitely a writing style different to my usual read. It feels like a story that should be told - wonder how it would work on audiobook? I am a little confused as to who exactly is telling us about events, and what happened to Lily.

@karen. right? super weird.

Cinthia wrote: "41% [spoilers removed]"

I thought I was losing the plot when I read what seemed to be the house talking!

Wolf (Alpha) wrote: "50%: [spoilers removed]"

Given that they all seem to be aware that Miri sees ghosts, why are they not more sympathetic to her?

Second quarter. I feel a little more like I've got into the stride of the book, but it seems to be perpetually shifting. I wonder if this is partly because of the content, where we never feel wholly confident that we know what's going on.

Third quarter. I'm rather surprised it took so long for someone to realise Miranda wasn't coping with life at University. Her friendship with Ore offers some positives, but Ore's reaction to the house makes me wonder exactly what is happening.

Finished. Review on home page. Confused...definitely.

Cinthia wrote: "41% [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[That is kinda sad/creepy about Jennifer. Especially with no body. (hide spoiler)]

Karen wrote: "Wolf (Alpha) wrote: "50%: [spoilers removed]"

Given that they all seem to be aware that Miri sees ghosts, why are they not more sympathetic to her?"

I wondered this myself!

End of Part 1 (view spoiler)[okay I read that mannequin scene twice and still cant make much sense of it... (hide spoiler)]

Cinthia wrote: "63% [spoilers removed]"

Heh! I have eaten orange peels before. Highest part for good vitamin C when you need a boast. Also great for zesting! It was neat to see that I am not alone in my sometimes strange eating habits.

Finished! We don't even get a good ending? (view spoiler)[THis was both sad and maddening! (hide spoiler)]

Wolf (Alpha) wrote: "25% [spoilers removed]"

I agree with you. (view spoiler)[The writing style is confusing for me as well. I feel bad for Miri too. I am not particularly fond of the writing, so I will see if I continue it. (hide spoiler)]

Part 1 Thoughts: (view spoiler)[It is not the most engaging writing style because I am still wondering who is telling the events of the story. I like Miri and Eliot. However, I wished that Eliot was more understanding of Miri, instead of criticizing and judging her all the time. (hide spoiler)]

Cinthia wrote: "Wolf (Alpha) wrote: "50%: [spoilers removed]"

I love Ore. Yea, [spoilers removed]"

I agree with you Cinthia. (view spoiler)[I think he is frustrated that Miri is not eating. However, I do wish he was more understanding towards her. (hide spoiler)]

Wolf (Alpha) wrote: "25% [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I’m struggling with the writing style as well. I don’t understand what’s happening half the time. The book so far feels more like a collection of really random scenes than a story. I feel like I don’t know enough about the main characters to care about them yet. (hide spoiler)]

Jamie wrote: "Cinthia wrote: "63% [spoilers removed]"

Heh! I have eaten orange peels before. Highest part for good vitamin C when you need a boast. Also great for zesting! It was neat to see that I am not alone..."

I think I will be trying to eat an orange peel. Don’t know if I can. It might be too zesty for me haha! (view spoiler)[I really like Ore. She has been a great addition to Miri’s life. (hide spoiler)]

Sharon wrote: "Part 1 Thoughts: [spoilers removed]"

End of part 1
(view spoiler)[ That’s interesting. I read Eliot as a good brother who tries to be understanding and treat her normally even though he doesn’t quite get why she does what she does. I can see why he would struggle with that since I have no idea what’s happening in this book half the time.
I have no idea who the narrator is or if it’s changing throughout the book. Also Ore was mentioned at the start and then for like 5 pages and then we haven’t seen any more of her. I wonder what she has to do with anything.
Half the words I’m reading feel like pointless nonsense. No idea what was happening with the mannequin. (hide spoiler)]

68%
(view spoiler)[ “She felt like she’d done something wrong, but what?” - I’m gonna guess Eliot’s struggling because he wanted to go to Cambridge and didn’t get in. She didn’t really care but applied anyway, got in and potentially took his place. I can see why it would be hard for him to take her calls from the place he wanted to be at. (hide spoiler)]

Done
Well… I don’t really know what to say about that. I have no idea what was going on or why. I feel like there was meant to be some kind of deep meaning or something that I’ve missed but I’m content with moving on and forgetting about this book.