Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion

Members choice for additional read in August was The Enchanted



"This is an enchanted place. Others don't see it, but I do."

The enchanted place is an ancient stone prison, viewed through the eyes of a death row inmate who finds escape in his books and in re-imagining life around him, weaving a fantastical story of the people he observes and the world he inhabits. Fearful and reclusive, he senses what others cannot. Though bars confine him every minute of every day, he marries magical visions of golden horses running beneath the prison, heat flowing like molten metal from their backs, with the devastating violence of prison life.

Two outsiders venture here: a fallen priest, and the Lady, an investigator who searches for buried information from prisoners' pasts that can save those soon-to-be-executed. Digging into the background of a killer named York, she uncovers wrenching truths that challenge familiar notions of victim and criminal, innocence and guilt, honor and corruption-ultimately revealing shocking secrets of her own.

I absolutely loved this book. Magical realism is definitely not in one of my "go to" categories either. I did write a review a while back if anyone is interested in reading it
here

There's one thing I definitely want to talk about with this book, but I'll wait til the end of the month. It's a huge spoiler and I don't want to chance talking about it so early on. :)

I've just finished and as I suspected before going into it, it wasn't for me.
Was it beautifully written? Yes. Was it thought-provoking? Yes
But it reminded me of a group read last year, The Shadow of the Wind, which I didn't enjoy for the same reason.
So I shall quote myself from that discussion; "too much around the winding roads instead of using the motorway for me"

I will open up to spoiler discussion on the book from the 8th of this month

Interesting. I also massively disliked The Shadow of the Wind. I stopped when I only had 50 pages left because I didn't care at all what happened.
But I totally get what your saying Lynn, it shocked me that I enjoyed this book as much as I did.

Sorry you didn't care for it, Lynn. Love the winding road quote. I can definitely relate to that.

that makes it even more attractive to me as The shadow of the wind is one of my all time favorite books. I'll start this as soon as I'm done with red rising.

NOW OPEN TO SPOILERS

Discussion Questions from the publisher if you're interested behind the (view spoiler)[
1. The novel opens with the line, "This is an enchanted place. Others don't see it but I do." The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word "enchant" as, "to attract and hold the attention of (someone) by being interesting, pretty, etc.; to put a magic spell on (someone or something)." Why does the narrator call this place enchanted? What beauty does he find in his surroundings that others do not? What does this tell us about the narrator?

2. Talk about the main characters: the narrator, the lady, the priest, and York, the prisoner on death row at the center of the story. How are these characters' lives and their fates intrinsically connected? What do we learn about the lady and the priest from the narrator?

3. Why does York want to die and why does the lady want to save him? Is he worth saving? How does she go about gathering evidence to understand his case, knowledge that might prevent his execution? What propels her choice at the novel's end?

4. Think about York. What were your first impressions about him when he's introduced? As you discovered more about his story, did your outlook towards him change? How does the experience of investigating York's past affect the lady and her outlook towards York? How does it shape how she sees her own life?

5. What draws the lady and the priest to one another? Why do you think each chose the career they pursued? How do their callings sustain them emotionally? Are they good at what they do—even if the priest is himself fallen from grace?

6. What has being locked inside done to the narrator—and for him? What about some of the other prisoners he watches? Do you believe in rehabilitation? Do you think our prison system today encourages rehabilitation? Is there something else we can do besides imprison those who commit crimes?

7. One of the Ten Commandments is "thou shalt not kill." Isn't executing someone—even someone who committed a heinous crime such as taking another's life—going against morality? Why is the death penalty still used in the United States compared to most other modern democracies?

8. Do you believe that we are products of our circumstances? How much can free will mitigate terrible damage that inflicted in a person's youth, when he or she is most vulnerable and impressionable? Why do people do such terrible things to each other and to innocent children? "There is too much pain in the world, that's the problem," the lady tells the priest. What causes so much of the world's pain and can we, both individually and as a society, do to help alleviate this suffering? How much responsibility do we carry for our fellow men and women?

9. What do you think is the worst punishment that the prisoners in the novel face being locked away? "It is meaning that drives most people forward into time and it is meaning that reminds them of the past, so they know where they are in the universe. But what about men like me? For us time doesn't exist." Think about time in your life and in the narrator's. How do you respond to him? What can give a life that is not measured by the events of time real meaning? How is such a life measured? Think about not being able to touch someone or see the sky. How would that affect you for a day? A week? A year? A lifetime?

10. What happens to people when they are incarcerated? How can we make the prison system more humane? Should it be humane or do convicts, regardless of the level of their crimes, "deserve what they get"? As a society, do we see prison more as punishment or as retribution? How can we save people from having failed lives? Is it possible to save someone?

11. Do you think that death offers release for men like York and the narrator? Did they find peace?

12. Like the lady, Rene Denfeld is a fact investigator in death penalty cases. How do you think her work shaped the story? Did reading The Enchanted alter your view of prison?

13. Rene Denfeld touches on many issues and themes: Mental illness, justice, time, kindness, remorse, forgiveness, the need for love and connection, life and death itself. Choose one or two and trace them through the novel, using examples from the novel to enrich your analysis.

14. Why did you choose to read this novel? Did the novel surprise you in any way? Explain why or why not. What did you take away from reading The Enchanted?
(Questions published by the publisher.) (hide spoiler)]

Wow .. what a book! I have to say I absolutely LOVE this book. Even though it was terrible to read it in parts. And it's all about the winding roads as there really is no motorway. After all, what's the point of a motorway if time has no meaning?
I can't see the comparison to The Shadow of the Wind though .. both are dark and haunting, but so are many others. It has a bit of The Night Circus, but that is a circus story while this is a prison tale. So much darker. Or Station Eleven? I don't think I've ever read anything like this ...

I don't want to answer all of those questions .. would feel too much like a chore.
I believe the narrator is a bit lost in between reality and a magic world that only he can see. Maybe, in part, because he has learned to just take the world as he perceives it and to look for goodness where he can find it, but more likely because his world is just so horrible that his mind has escaped to an enchanted place.
And in a way, that's what the author is doing so wonderfully as well. She tells of unspeakable horrors .. over and over again .. both in the past of the inmates or in the present of the prison. Yet, it is told so lyrically, so lightly .. almost like a nice warm summer breeze .. that we can read it .. just like that. And somehow it seems enchanted, almost not real .. protecting part of our perception while the rest of our mind is busy dealing with the hard facts hidden away?

I feel like the book is a mirror of the world .. of all the suffering going on and all the pain and our inability to protect the weakest among us which just leads to more pain and suffering (I hearing Yoda in my head). There are so many points where we could step in and stop it, yet we fail to do so. The easiest way is clearly to just lock someone up and kill them ... which makes a society that allows executions no better than the criminals themselves. We're helpless and grasp the little control we have to hurt the ones that can't fight back.

Personally, I think the biggest issue is the lack of help with mental issues .. the fact that so many people never get the chance to get any help at all or if they realize they need help, the can't afford it. And thus starts a cycle that can only end badly.

It's a wondrous book to me and I will certainly read it again and again.

York was destined to fail. He was dealt an impossible hand. People bend and sometimes they break. I totally agree the biggest obstacle the judicial system faces is mental illness. Rehabilitation is impossible if the person doesn't want to change and if they aren't given the tools to help them change.
It's far too easy to just lock people up and throw away the key. Our prison systems are overcrowded, disgusting and absolutely depressing. Its easy to see how someone could completely give up in that environment.
I really left this book wanting more. I wanted to know the WHY behind York. Because you are left with many unanswered questions. But, in retrospect, that's the beauty of this book. It really made me think after finishing it... and still now.

I read this book because many people I admire loved it. I also read it because its really "not my thing" and I wanted to read more books that aren't in my comfort zone this year.

ally ¯\(ツ)/¯ wrote: "There's one thing I definitely want to talk about with this book, but I'll wait til the end of the month. It's a huge spoiler and I don't want to chance talking about it so early on. :) "

What was it that you wanted to discuss ally?

Its been a while since I read the book. But if I remember correctly, the author never says what York actually did, did she? There was some brief moments in the past but never a "This is what got him in here".
In a way, this bugged me.

I think there was a part where it's mentioned that there are serial killers (Striker), murderers of children (Arden) and serial rapists (York) ... at least that's the impression I got. Also, through some of the things about York's past? I was also wondering if he might have harmed or even killed his mother.
I felt it appropriate to leave it a little uncertain .. just hinted at. In the end, it's not really important and fits with the atmosphere of the book.

The reason why it bugged me, at least I think, is because of the uncertainty, I felt empathy towards the prisoners... and I really didn't want to.
Its interesting. If their crimes would have been laid out on the table, I'm almost positive I would have hated this book.

Saving this read for later...I just started the book, so I don't want to read the spoilers :D

The strange little book. I liked it much more than I expected to. lovely writing. Like others I found myself caring about some of the prisoners more than I normally would.

I'm way late, but just grabbed this from the library tonight. I haven't read any comments here yet and really don't know what the book is about. Here we go!

Finished. This book is amazing. You can check out my review for more detail, but I loved it.

I agree that I liked not having their crimes laid out in detail. It did mention York and "all of those women" which probably manifested from his childhood memories and mental illness. I think she intentionally minimized the details of the crimes to show how none of it really matters once you're inside.