SA Book & Challenge Lovers discussion

A discussion thread for our Sept - Oct BoM. Spoilers are permitted.

I'm reposting the questions from the no-spoiler thread, because I think they're still relevant at the end, and your answers may have changed:

1. Out of the five friends, do you have any favourites? Anyone you identify with or whose POV you just like reading from?

2. What are your impressions of Demi, based on how her friends and boyfriend think of her?

3. So far the five characters are dealing with Demi's death alone, only coming together briefly, if at all. Do you think it'd be better if some or all of them came together to talk? What should they talk about?

And some questions to consider once you've finished the book:
4. What do you think of the various roles that the characters played in Demi's death, including Demi herself? Would you lay the blame squarely with any particular person - like Ashley or James - or is it too complicated for that?

5. What do you think of the structure of the book, the way it moves through each POV, going back to Demi's death and the events leading up to that?

Any other thoughts? Please share!

1. I have to admit I identify a lot with Ashley's awkwardness, anger, and constant worrying about what people think of her. That's not as much of an issue for me now, but her chapter reminded me the most of how crap it was to be a teenager. Her problems are mostly internal (except for her problems with her dad) whereas the others have more external problems - drug abuse, family issues, relationship issues.

2. Ashley's chapter seemed the most honest about Demi - that she's sweet and fun and charming, but also flighty and thoughtless, with a dangerous drug addiction. Comparing Ashley and Demi's chapters, it seems that she doesn't think at all about how her actions affect Ashley - trying to hook her up with Siya, talking about it with V, cosying up to V in a way that makes Ashley feel completely left out. At first it seems nice that Demi's such a sunny person, but from Ashley's POV it's more like she's so happy because she doesn't take anything seriously.

4. Ashley seems the most obvious person to blame, since she actually set out to commit murder. However, she was in so much pain herself that it seems cruel to just blame her outright. All the drugs came from James, and he gave Demi as much as she wanted to maintain his connection to V. Demi is an addict who was already high and drunk when V gave her that Coke. Damien and V seem to have ignored Demi's drug addiction. At the beginning Damien says something about how he should have been with her. Where did he go? Knowing how high and drunk she was, he should have been looking out for her.
But I like the fact that it's so tangled, that everyone plays a role, largely because they're teenagers and they're all so self-absorbed.

5. I like the way the different POVs show different sides to each character. For example, Ashley sees V as this horrible mean girl, but V's chapter suggests that this is a defensive persona she adopts. Everybody sees James as this asshole, but his feelings for V make him more sympathetic. And they're all such typical teenagers in that they're so deeply absorbed in their own issues that they tend not to think about - or find out - what others are feeling. No one addresses Demi's drug problem. No one notices that Siya is gay. V barely knows anything about James, but also accuses him of not caring about other people.


I did have one major question about the book though - why no autopsy and investigation? Demi drowned after overdosing and she was underage. Given that she died at a music festival, surely the authorities would have checked for something like this? In which case they would have wanted to know where she got all the drugs, and all her friends would have been questioned.

4. I would blame Ashley alone. Sure Demi was taking drugs and James were giving it to her, but they seemed to know there was a limit. For A to put all those drugs in the drink, knowing she wanted to kill someone, it is her fault.

I think A's pain was self inflicted. She took so much too serious and was really paranoid. She stopped herself from having fun, from being friendly, from being happy. She wanted everyone to love her while she sulked in the corner.

5. I liked the structure of the book. It worked for me.

I had the same thought. I wish someone would have suspected or asked how much drugs she took. But then again with things like drugs the police might just want to close the case and move on. Even if someone said that she only took 1 pill and mushrooms, they would just think they are lying or that she took more secretly.

Lu (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "4. I would blame Ashley alone. Sure Demi was taking drugs and James were giving it to her, but they seemed to know there was a limit. For A to put all those drugs in the drink, knowing she wanted t..."

You make good points about Ashley that made me rethink my stance a bit. I feel quite sorry for her, being so unhappy, and identify with some of her insecurities, but you really can't dismiss the fact that she purposefully set out to murder someone out of anger and jealousy. Then she just walks away, moves to Joburg to stay with her mom and avoid the whole issue.

She should have known she'd hate every moment of that festival and declined the invitation. I also wondered how she ended up at that club in the beginning, with two party animals. The girl who invited her was trying to be nice, but Ashley was never going to do anything but sit around being miserable. She doesn't think about the fact that that girl was trying to help her have some fun, and that Demi included her among the few friends she wanted at her birthday celebration. They could have ignored her completely, but they wanted her to join in.

Yea, I also felt a bit sorry for her, but I feel like she went too far. Like atleast try to make other friends, or tell them how you feel, or shout at them, before you try and kill someone...

Yea I feel like is probably going to do the same thing again. Go out with those girls, although she would rather be somewhere else, and then blame them for her choices.

Exactly, she got a invite, Demi might be a bit floaty, but I thought that she counted A as a friend.