Laurie R. King Virtual Book Club discussion
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Reconstructing Amelia
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Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight - VBC Jan 2015
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What did you think of Kate's journey and character development along the way? I thought that was one of the best things about the story, as was the gradual revelation of the "real" Amelia. McCreight's use of social media and email to tell the story was also fascinating...
I have the ebook on reserve from my library. Your descriptions of the book are intriguing. I am looking forward to reading it.
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Laura, I think you'll enjoy it. It's a great mystery but also, a study of mother -daughter relationships and, as John said above, a rather scary insight into the cliques and social struggles going on in an expensive prep school. Probably not all that exaggerated, I fear.
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I thought that Kate's journey and character development was indeed a strong point of the book, and a very believable parental reaction to Amelia's tragedy. Her search for meaning in what happened, and how she had to personally change to begin to wrap her head around what she discovered of her daughter's daily life, would be, I think, a touchstone for many parents (certainly single moms) who have experienced the travails of their adolescent children (again, especially an only child). I totally agree with you about the scary insights, and I don't think the situations portrayed were at all exaggerated.
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Laura, I think you'll enjoy it. It's a great mystery..."
Sabrina, it's a puzzle that that gradually draws you in and has an amazing twist ending. I wouldn't call it a thriller, really; it's more of a psychological suspense novel. Much of it is really focused on a mother's effort to get to know her daughter, even if it's really too late.
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Yes, I started it last night and couldn't put it down! Haven't had time to read today, but I keep wanting to pick it back up. It's a real page turner.
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Yes, I started it last night and couldn't put it down! Haven't had time to read today, but I keep wanting to pick it back up. It's a real page turner."
Glad you are enjoying it. As I said earlier, I listened to it as an audiobook and it was one of those that made you want to keep driving around in circles!
I read this book in 2013, and it was one of those powerful books with timely issues that stays with one. I'm listing a link to my review, which contains no spoilers, here for those who would like to have a quick summary of the book and my thoughts. I am going to go ahead and post my closing paragraph in my review, as it aptly sums up my feelings about the book."Kimberly McCreight has written an amazing debut novel. Her structure for the novel of using narratives from both Amelia and Kate, texts, Facebook updates, emails and even a blog's entries serves to create an interesting representation of how the teen world and perspective flows. The story addresses important issues that a teenager faces as he/she navigates the often murky waters of these transforming waters. It sounds so trite to say that one couldn't put the book down, but I certainly came close to reading it in one sitting. As a piece of fiction, it's fascinating. As a cautionary tale, it's chilling."
Link is https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
John and Merrily, I agree with all you've said thus far. Great intro to the book, John. Merrily, it is indeed scary how little many parents really know about who their teenagers are away from home. Laura and Sabrina, I envy you reading it for the first time.
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I just read Kathy's review and now I am very excitedly awaiting my e-book library copy.
John wrote: "Kathy, thank you very much for posting the link to your review and the snippet from your review. I would certainly recommend your review site to readers as a valuable resource for very helpful revi..."Aw, thank you, John. You are too kind. I'm trying to update my blog with my reviews, kind of let that slip. I'll let you know when the review page there is updated, although there are lots of current reviews in posts. I don't know if I'll get to re-read this book or not, so much waiting, and January is usually reserved for series reading, except, of course, this January will start with Dreaming Spies, as soon as I finish my current book. I may try to scan over Reconstructing Amelia though.
Laura wrote: "I just read Kathy's review and now I am very excitedly awaiting my e-book library copy."Thanks, Laura. I think you'll find much by which to be riveted in this book.
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Kathy's review is excellent and without containing any spoilers, hits on many of the key ingredients in the narrative, the things that ultimately lead to disaster and in the mother's case, awaken her to what was really happening to her daughter. One of the things that struck me about this book was that while a great deal of it had to do with cliques and bullying among peers, some of the most serious betrayals in the book are at the hands of adults whom Amelia should have been able to trust (betrayals both conscious and unconscious). What do you think the author was trying to tell us?
Nail on the head, Merrily! It's the adults' skewered values and inability or unwillingness to give appropriate guidance or attention that dooms the kids to the misery of their own devices. So, the kids bully to create a world in which their demands for attention are heard. I'm not absolving kids who bully from their culpability, just saying that they have plenty of support from adults who are too busy for them or adults that would rather pretend that bullying is harmless. And, as I stated in my review, there are the adults in schools who themselves are intimidated by the bullying students. If you've ever seen a teacher's life wrecked by false accusations, you know that sometimes that fear of students is not baseless. So, I think that the author is showing us what is so hard about the issue of bullying, that there is plenty of blame to go around, but the answers are difficult to discern. Open, honest dialogue between parents and children is helpful, but even that doesn't always prevent or solve a bullying situation. And, when parents are aware and try to go through the right channels, it can backfire and intensify the bullying. I wish there was a definitive answer. Even Kate, in her attempts at wanting Amelia to "fit in", helps to set her daughter up to become entangled in an impossible situation. As parents, we want the best for our children, but sometimes even we can't foresee that what we think of as "best" might not be for that child. Part of Kate's journey is finding out that Amelia wasn't who she thought she was, but that didn't mean she wasn't who she was meant to be. Short personal story on bullying. I do not endorse this method of dealing with bullying, but it was what worked for our son. When he was in the second grade, two boys would gang up on him during recess outside. One would hold him and the other hit him. The teachers were sitting on a bench and talking, never seeing what was occurring. I have been a teacher, and I know that there are so many great ones out there, but, unfortunately, that year my son had bench sitters. I went to the principal over the matter, who was less than helpful and told me that the teachers would handle it if anything were happening. I asked him if my son was just supposed to stand and take being hit. He actually exploded at me, and told me that my son would be punished if he hit back. So, it continued. My husband told my son that when the boy who held him reached for him to give him a solid punch in the nose, rather like you would a shark. Son followed these instructions, said boy was shocked and whined, and the two tough little creeps didn't bother my son again. Yes, I know we should all turn the other cheek and not resort to violence, but, hey, the kids did work it out after all. I'm sure that I was guilty of bad parenting in some way, but so be it.
I had the impression when reading that I've read these people before, I've read these situations before. Perhaps it is because I occasionally dip into YA literature, perhaps not. But this book didn't feel fresh and new to me, it felt recycled.
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Kathy, sometimes with bullies the only answer is to stand up to them, sadly, by not turning the other cheek. Unfortunate but true. In addition to the adult behaviors you mentioned, I would also add the outright lies that were told by omission or commission - people trying to hide lapses in judgment, or to establish a relationship that had been denied them. All these came together to affect the kids, regrettably.
Karen, I didn't get any recycled vibes, but that may be because I don't have kids, and the only YA literature I've read lately has been the Hunger Games and Diverget series...
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It's definitely that! The plotting is just so perfect in this book.
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Karen, the characters rather reminded me of the characters in The Princess Diaries, except with a bit more of an adult twist. Or rather, more realism? It's not quite so fairy-tale white-washed as Princess Diaries, maybe; and with a few different quirks. But the down-to-earth girl with the single mom who's not quite there; the eccentric friend who gets pissy/angry when the main character starts branching off without her. A bunch of stuff just struck me as similar.
KarenB wrote: "I had the impression when reading that I've read these people before, I've read these situations before. Perhaps it is because I occasionally dip into YA literature, perhaps not. But this book didn..."Karen, I try to keep my hand in young adult lit, as it was my focus in my Library Media Masters and I now have a thirteen-year-old granddaughter who likes to read books with me. Sadly, last year I was a bit lax in my YA reading. Anyway, all of that is just to say that I really enjoy YA/teen literature. I thought that this book actually took a rather fresh approach to the issues of bullying and parent/teen relationships. In Reconstructing Amelia we not only have the neglectful parents, we have a caring parent who it turns out doesn't really know who her daughter was. However, having said that, I think that the recycling that you feel might have to do with the issues themselves and kids or teens being left on their own to deal with a confusing and often deceitful world. Now, if there had been a vampire in the group, I would completely agree with you. LOL!
But John, you have depth, great depth! And I certainly hope so. It should be doable, provided I can get the transportation issues worked out for my son of the many activities.Erin, I'm glad I wasn't the only one to feel this way. I hesitated about posting that comment as I didn't want to put anyone off the book. I think I will just lurk to see what others thought for a while.
*snicker* Kathy!
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I do think some of the situations may be found in general teen life - the jealous BFF, the shallow mean girls, etc etc - but what I found different in this book was the intersection of typical teen angst with adult self-centeredness and perfidy. Without giving away anything, I thought the eventual truth about Amelia's anonymous "text friend" was a real surprise and of course, a betrayal, whatever the original intentions.
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This book reminded me of watching a long string of dominos, each one being a lie, whether it was small or large, they all built up until Amelia was pushed over the edge.
Merrily, the "text friend" surprised me, too, and I hope anybody who read it, as it was knock-out punch to the Kate's already shattered perception of Amelia's life. Sabrina, great metaphor, and as a grandmother, I find myself being scared for my granddaughters, too. My thirteen-year-old was lamenting the fact that her mom, my daughter, wouldn't get her a bra at Victoria Secret's like the other girls had. She struck out with me, too. Not paying $50 for a bra for a young girl who is growing leaps and bounds everywhere. The problem is that the peer pressure to have the cool clothes and do the cool things is enormous. I worry about her because she is rather impressionable. My five-year-old granddaughter seems like she's going to be able to take care of herself already, but who knows what forces may intervene. Such a hard job parents have these days. I think it's harder than it used to be because of the increased bullying.
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The more we got to know Amelia throughout this book, the more I loved her...and the more tragic her death became to me. She's such a strong person; she's going through so much change personally and facing down the challenges of the bullies so bravely. I was really glad the initial assumptions of the police were proven wrong.
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Total betrayal! Talk about a punch to the gut for Kate and inappropriate adult behavior! I can't even think what Amelia would have thought if she had found that secret out before she died. 0_o
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Being in the head of the grieving family member really twisted this story for me. There's no way to triumph here. Even if she confirms there is a bad guy and is able to "bring him to justice," there's no win. That reality just completely changed my usual perspective on mysteries.
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I agree with you and your daughter, Kathy! I do think bullying is worse with social media, but I also think they have been going down hill for awhile. When I was younger, one of my high school age brothers was jumped by a group of kids in the bathroom and had a switchblade held to his throat while they stole his insulin syringes (they thought they could use them for drugs) and another was nearly kidnapped while walking two blocks to school.
With my own daughters, I'm constantly shocked over the things they are already dealing with. One of my daughter's classmates (2nd grade) was kicked and pushed on playground so hard that the other kids fractured his skull. He nearly died. Spent 4 days in critical care.
Parents let their 1st graders watch stuff like Chucky and Bloody Mary, then the kids start leaving death threats in their classmates' desks. My daughter was chased by a pack of little girls who were trying to drag her and this boy together and make them kiss. She had to run into the bathroom and lock the door. She has been hit by other girls, and stealing is already a given. If she leaves anything in her desk or her lunchpail out... it's gone.
The school has lockdown drills, which they actually had to do when a crazy man was running around shooting by school. I have to constantly talk with my daughters about various sex topics that come up. I am just happy they ask me instead of listening to their friends. Last month, when my daughter told me that the class bully threatened to kill another classmate, I informed the teacher. And all this before age 10. It's only going to get worse.
I really felt for Kate. She wasn't perfect (no parent is), but she was trying, but then kids are thrown in with kids whose parents don't even try, or who are just down right neglectful and abusive to their own children.
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The same for me, Erin! At the beginning, it was just sort of sad... but then as I got to know her, I found myself grieving her loss. By the end, I had tears in my eyes.
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And Erin, I do think it makes a difference to our feeling about the book that it is Amelia's mother who is the investigator. For one thing, she has more invested than any policeman or private detective could, and for another, she's not only investigating a suspicious death but trying to break herself out of a shell that she herself created. So, I think the book is both a mystery and a real character study.
Sabrina, I'm horrified by what your ten-year-old daughter has already seen and experienced. It's like a pack mentality that overtakes these kids, I guess. Homeschooling used to seem to me like such an insular way to raise or educate a child, but I might consider it these days if I had school age children and wasn't working outside of the home. Of course, I realize that bullies are not only in school, and they will be encountered throughout life. Merrily, I agree that the anonymity of the bullying today makes it so much harder to stand up to or protect oneself against. The use of social media to harass and torment makes me glad that my kids didn't have to deal with Face Book or any of the other forums.
Erin, I, too, think it made a huge difference that the mother was the one doing the investigation. Having access to what Kate was feeling as she uncovered the lies and gained insight into her Amelia's attempt to navigate the quagmire of her harrowing world put us on the front line of the heartbreak. The buffer was gone, and it occurred to me how much easier it is to read mysteries with that buffer. Not that they aren't compelling, just that the safe distance allows us to sometimes dehumanize a victim. No chance of that in this book.
I was an odd one, socially inept and a loner but only 1 (one) girl ever tried to bully me in grade school or high school! I was lucky to be growing up in the 1930s. I feel so sad about what kids have to endure now. My sons were bullied some 1950s and 60s until I hired a college athlete to teach them some boxing. He said, "Avoid a fight if you can. If you can't, make sure their nose bleeds." It worked for boys.
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Erin wrote: "KarenB wrote: "I had the impression when reading that I've read these people before, I've read these situations before. Perhaps it is because I occasionally dip into YA literature, perhaps not. But..."I just picked up my copy of the book from the library. Can't help but wonder if it's not Lord of the Flies in new clothes.
Margaret wrote: "I was an odd one, socially inept and a loner but only 1 (one) girl ever tried to bully me in grade school or high school! I was lucky to be growing up in the 1930s. I feel so sad about what kids ..."Margaret, that's pretty much what my husband said to our son concerning the two boys who were using him as a punching bag. Aim for the nose.
Erin wrote: "Girls do seem to be a lot more...cunning in their abuse."I think I might even say wicked, Erin.
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Antoinette, not really, because in "Lord of the Flies" the children are trying to self-govern, and in this book, there are plenty of adults who could have helped Amelia if they'd only realized what was going on or (in some cases) what their own behavior was causing. To me it seemed as if Amelia was coping as best she could given her age, experience and situation, but she was like a swimmer who is out in the water, sinking, and there are all these oblivious people on land, unaware and not moving to throw her a rope.
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I know we don't usually do the spoiler hiding thing, but I really don't want to spoil this book for anyone.
Erin: (view spoiler)
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Kathy, after my older brother was held up at knifepoint, my parents freaked out and put us all in a homeschool run through the school district. We had tons of friends, so it wasn't bad and went on field trips up and down California. I also took advantage of volunteering to get job experience and took a few college courses while in highschool.
Homeschool works for some children and families, but not all. It's definitely an alternative for my kids if things get too bad. Although the school they are in is a good one for the area.
One thing that I really liked about Reconstructing Amelia is that this all took place at a highly rated, expensive private school. I've talked with many parents who feel that if they get their kid into a private school, then there won't be any issues with other students. But I think this book was pretty accurate. Money doesn't make bullying go away.
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Good point, Sabrina! There always seems to be this social perception that rich people treat each other better than poor people. Or that poor people are expected to be more prone to violence. I do kind of wonder about that: if Amelia had gone to a public school in a low-rent area do you think the bullying would have taken the same shape?
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Good point, Sabrina! There always seems to be t..."
Erin, I suspect the bullying wouldn't have been all that different, since all high schools have their cliques and secret clubs (even if they're sometimes called "gangs.") Perhaps the ones in private schools simply have fancier trappings or more arcane rituals, but it all amounts to the same thing.
I do think that the "rich" kids are better able to get away with things, using their parents' money and influence. I actually think kids from a low-rent are would be on a much leveler playing field, as it's my perception that the scholarship kids or less rich kids get the worst end of it at a private school. Whether the bullying would take a different shape at the different income schools, I think that the lower income school might have more direct confrontations than the rich school where kids can and do rely on electronics to accomplish much of their bullying. I may be naive in thinking that the lower income students don't have access to the fancier phones or other gadgets.
I really enjoyed this book, but it definitely had the feel of recycled material to me. My actual hit was that it reminded me of TV mystery shows I have watched.That said, the best stories are recycled over and over because they are relevant.
As both a parent and a teacher, I found this story very engaging. As a single mom, I found myself evaluating how present I am in my childrens' lives and reaffirming that presence is the most important gift we can give our children. I actually thought Kate was very present given her demanding work load. Personally, I'm exhausted after an 8 hour day. Yet, I wasn't sure why she felt the need to work so many hours?
As a teacher I was pretty appalled by the english teacher's level of involvement. Yuck! I was also surprised by how much power the parents had over hushing up the situation. Perhaps the private school thing? I do know that as a teacher, I am required by law to report any suspected abusive situations to CPS regardless of whether they are on or off campus, so that part didn't ring true to me.
Anyways, first book club book, and I really enjoyed it as well as the discussion.
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That said, the best stories are recy..."
Jennifer, glad you are enjoying the discussion and very interesting to hear from a teacher about this book. I do suspect (having spent most of my career in private universities) that wealthy parents/donors do have a certain amount of clout in a private secondary school, although not, we hope, to the extent imagined here. As to Kate's working hours, I've had several friends who were lawyers in big New York firms (and elsewhere) and I know that when you are in the Associate years, you essentially have no life - they have to work horrendous hours or there is no hope of making partner. I had one friend who went through those years, made partner, and then left to start her own small practice because she just didn't want to spend her entire life in the office, no matter how much money she made.
Merrily wrote: "Merrily wrote: "Laura wrote: "I have the ebook on reserve from my library. Your descriptions of the book are intriguing. I am looking forward to reading it."Laura, I think you'll enjoy it. It's..."
It drew me in very gradually indeed. I was on page 166 before I was drawn in but after that I didn't want to put it down.
I just got my copy from the library today. AND just got an email from BookBub that "Reconstructing Amelia" is available on Amazon for Kindle for $2.99 until January 26th.http://www.amazon.com/Reconstructing-...
I look forward to reading the book and getting back into the discussion.
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The story begins with Kate in the middle of an important client meeting which is interrupted by an unexpected phone call for her; it's from the dean of students at the prep school brusquely informing Kate that Amelia has received a 3 day suspension from school and that Kate must come immediately and pick her up, with no explanation of the offense. When Kate finally makes it (via public transportation) to school she is stunned by the scene she encounters and her life is changed forever.
McCreight does a masterful job of showing us snippets of Kate's present and Amelia's past through a deft blend of narrative exposition, e-mails, text messages, Facebook updates, and blog entries. This is serious subject matter presented as a literary thriller, and the author knocks it out of the park (imho).
I was quite affected by this story; let me know your thoughts!