Play Book Tag discussion

I've thought about this book for a while. I finished the book felling underwhelmed, but the more I thought of the message and the analogy of the book, the deeper the message hit me, so I raised my rating from 3 stars to 4.

The parallelism between the main characters relationship with AmErica and his relationship with Erica is very interesting and is the part of the book that continued to simmer with me after I put the physical story down. (view spoiler)[His desire to be liked and fit in so much, that he is willing to become someone else and still be rejected. (hide spoiler)]

I am not a fan of the ambiguous ending. Who is he and who is the man he is talking to? What happens next? I guess our view of the world is what shapes the end of the story.

I wouldn't say I like neatly wrapped up endings. I like to imagine where each character's life and decisions took them in the future, but I don't want to have to imagine what happens immediately after the story ends.

Again you were out in that position with the imagined ending!!!!

I read 2 books by this author last month and they are all short and inconclusive. He has an important point of view, but I couldn't get attached to the characters when things were so vague. Often the main characters don't even have names. I think I gave them all a 3.

I read this book years ago with my book club. It's not an easy book, and is deliberately ambiguous. But It is a book that I don't think I will ever forget, and for that it got a pretty high rating from me.

Jason, Regarding your question of "who is he talking to" my take on it is that (view spoiler)[by supplying only one side of the conversation, the reader can easily take the role of the unnamed dinner companion. (hide spoiler)]. I am sure there would be multiple interpretations of the ending, and it would be an excellent choice for a Book Club.

Robin P wrote: "I read 2 books by this author last month and they are all short and inconclusive. He has an important point of view, but I couldn't get attached to the characters when things were so vague. Often t..."

Amy wrote: "Again you were out in that position with the imagined ending!!!!"

Not a fan of that style. Short story maybe, but even a novella feels like I'm investing more than can be connected to. If that makes sense.

Joy D wrote: "Jason, Regarding your question of "who is he talking to" my take on it is that [spoilers removed]. I am sure there would be multiple interpretations of the ending, and it would be an excellent choi..."

That is an interesting take. I have enjoyed reading different perspectives of the unnamed listener and some have the effect of influencing the meaning of the story.