Hooked on Books discussion

Members Starting the BR: Kirsten and Amanda
Challenge: Book Quest Adventures
Book: All's Well by Mona Awad

Anyone is free to join in this Buddy Read! Happy Reading!

Started this one! Can't wait to see what you think since it's a theater professor.

I’m through chapter 9. I’m liking it okay, not much happening except a slow dissent into madness it seems. Which, I think might be to relate it to Shakespeare lol. I think you’re going to get so much more out of this because there seems to be a lot of nods and references

It took me until chapter 20 to realize that her doctors are all named after the Gospels lol

Okay--I just decided I'd start this one.

I finished it yesterday and really liked it! It's the type of magical realism with a fairly open ending of what was really happening, but I liked that. Its a really gritty look at living with chronic pain

I'm about 1/3 through. I am definitely liking it lots, though I'm on the fence about the reality of her pain.

The academic politics feel very true. I'm ready for the magic to start (she's met the witches twice so far) and really hoping that death and destruction follows in their wake. I'm ready for Briana and Fauve to bite it.

I honestly didn't even think of the political side of it being true too! Definitely makes sense that money leads the decisions everywhere

I have a family member who had a big injury that resulted in pain pills being prescribed and the pain lasted until they eventually stopped taking the pain medicine since it was the addiction presenting as pain. I had a feeling that could be here as well

I am loving this as the crazy ramps up!!!

Yes it's definitely like a mind trip that keeps you going!

I finished this! I loved it!

so much shakespeare! so much crazy!

I am ruthless in my need to impose plausible narratives on ambiguous fiction, so I feel like the ending was relatively clear (and I think she'll escape the worst of the pain--go Ellie, her spiritual if not literal daughter). What do you think?

Poor Hugo--I hope they make it. Yay Grace!

Until the very very end, I found Miranda pretty hateful.

Yay! I’m so glad you liked it!

I agree that I think she’ll escape the worst of the pain. I actually think a lot of the pain was probably psychosomatic (maybe not getting the big roles she wanted so when she fell used that as an out?)

And yes, Miranda was very much an “I have it worse than anyone” character who then didn’t even have sympathy when roles were swapped. Also, so petty to hate a child (yes a young adult but a child).

When there were the dreamlike play sequences I actually had a wild thought that the pain was all postpartum/pregnancy related and the whole play/demon deals bit was psychosis. I don’t think that’s true but I think it makes for an interesting thought.

Yes--I really wondered about the baby, which is kind of a weird thing to throw in there. BTW, Awad is half-Egyptian, so I marked this as a diversity read for both of us.