Talk of the Town discussion

It is definitely weird until the end, and definitely the most unusual I've read yet, right along with Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

It gave me the impression that it might have a sequel or it might develop into a series, but I haven't decided whether I'm interested.

I just know that even though I will most likely not remember all the characters' names because they're pretty common, I will remember this book for a long time. It's unique, I'll give it that.

I've had such mixed feelings about this book because it took me a good 100 pages or so to really feel like I had a grip on things, but even then it felt like it was a bit of an illusion since I never had any idea where things would go or how the world would expand. Normal rules don't seem to apply in this novel, haha! But certain chapters were either so haunting or beautiful or both (deadly combo) that the overall impression of the book is quite positive. It's such a unique premise and doesn't hold your hand when you read it, which is at times frustrating but I appreciate for the challenge. I don't think I'll be forgetting this book anytime soon. The last few chapters have really stayed with me. I like that it's open-ended for a sequel but at the same time I'm not even sure where this would go. There's definitely a lot of buildup for these enemies of Father's to be after Carolyn but no delivery in this book, which makes me wonder if any sort of battle or matchup could live up to expectations.

Joanie wrote: "I've had such mixed feelings about this book because it took me a good 100 pages or so to really feel like I had a grip on things, but even then it felt like it was a bit of an illusion since I nev..."

It's definitely a very unique and memorable book.
I don't really know exactly if I want a sequel or not. And even the author is not sure either...
https://www.goodreads.com/questions/3...
Someone asked him already :)

Thanks for sharing Joanie.

I am not sure if I really liked this book, I think something about the pacing was off for me.

At around 250 pages, it seems like the main driving point of the plot has ended (because she had her showdown with David) and it almost seems like the rest of the book was an afterthought, and at the SAME time it seems like it is the most important part of the book.

In many ways it seemed like the book lacked an ability to highlight what was important or effectively foreshadow what was to come in a way that made it meaningful.


However, I liked the IDEA of a lot of things in the book, and rather the idea of the book itself. The catalogs were cool, I enjoyed the idea of "Father" and David's backstory in particular. The ending material from the quick scene where she discusses the past with Father was interesting too. But it left me wishing that I had read THAT book, the book where FATHER was testing David in order to find his successor, and what it was like for them growing up. Instead, it was a rushed 'mystery' that didn't even seem all that mysterious. It was like a scooby doo plot with no reason to think that a 'gotcha!' moment would appear.

But, it was an easy (and quick) read that made me want to finish it because I was addicted to the idea of the library and the catalogs, so overall I had very mixed feelings.

Christie wrote: "I am not sure if I really liked this book, I think something about the pacing was off for me.

At around 250 pages, it seems like the main driving point of the plot has ended (because she had her s..."

Hmmmm.. I found it a very exciting plot myself, but it's nice to read about what other people thought about it.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, Christie!

Joanie wrote: "I've had such mixed feelings about this book because it took me a good 100 pages or so to really feel like I had a grip on things, but even then it felt like it was a bit of an illusion since I nev..."

I totally agree! I really liked that this book "didn't hold your hand". You just have to jump in and go with the total craziness and kind of understand it as you can. I think I have to sit with my thoughts on this for a long time before I'd be ready for a sequel.

I like how you said the books follows no rules. It really doesn't! I've never read a book like this, where the plot never really seemed stable but the story still moved along. And I think there's got to be a sequel. I want to know more about these enemies, starting with what they look like.