Literally Dead Book Club discussion

Did this book go the way you expected?
I'd say yes for the most part... but some dialogues were very well done and the very end one... oh god, i cried!!

What was the most interesting part of this book?
Interesting? I guess the Dome internal thoughts scenes, which were very unexpected. But an interesting part is when they go to the gay bar hahaha, their responses were very cringy and kinda horrifying.

How did you feel about all of the characters by the end?
I felt good about Ike, like ok his an anti-hero and he's homophobic... but he has Arianna to take care of now, and his dialogue with everyone by the cemetery was really heartfelt, like we can see the change in him and that he's gonna help change the generation he's in to move and evolve further. idk.
I obviously think of Buddy Lee as a racist and homophobic, but he was very much alone his whole life and that kinda breaks my heart a little... 'cause he only found something (good? friendship?) with Ike and that obviously didn't take long to end. But again, if he wasn't such a bad father, he'd have his son and his son's family with him at least. Since not, it kinda feels like he being alone at that age is kinda fitting (sadly).

Have you ever read a book like this?
No... this was very new to me. All that action and some gore and very deep intense dialogues... first time for me.

What books would you recommend for someone who enjoyed this book?
no freaking ideia...

What themes were present that stood out to you?
The action along with the gore scenes... 👀
And obviously all the internal feelings/thoughts of Buddy Lee and especially Ike about racism and lgbtq-phobia, like the scene in the barber shop... that was a very good one in terms of thinking and analysing our society and it's groups and culture within them.

So everyone’s opinion is their own, obviously. But those who say they hated the book because of the homophobia, etc. kind of missed the author’s meaning behind it. I had that many may not understand the journey these fathers went on. You have Ike who went from disowning his son to accepting Tangerine for who she is. That’s an amazing epiphany in his life, however late that epiphany came. This book was not meant to be friendly to the LGBTQ community. It’s supposed to show the dark side of prejudice, particularly in the Bible Belt. It’s a point of view that is shitty, raw, and down right fucked up but is one we all need to see so that we can further reflect on our own prejudices. We are all works in progress. Sometimes having that mirror held up helps us move forward and aids us in helping others grow.
I can see why this is a very polarizing book. I personally gave it 4 stars and would recommend others to read it.

Tbh I expected the book to be little less chaotic, I thought it would be much more methodical, including the ending but that's on me I think. The ending was ultimately satisfying, but the meandering road we took there made me think about giving up at times. Oh and I had already guessed the main twist/reveal, it didn't detract from the story but just a thing to note. The best part of the book easily was the exploration of grief and watching the characters grow and learn over the course of the book. Their self-reflections were really insightful and realistic to me and I'm glad these characters.

I do think books like this are really important these days. A lot of books that explore LGBT+ themes are expected to be "perfect" whereas this book is extremely imperfect. These characters grow and become allies along the way, but they aren't 'perfect allies' and may never be, but at least they are trying and honest with themselves when they realise they still have more to learn and are willing to do so.

Just wanted to clarify some points from my previous post that others have also hit on. I’m definitely not under the impression that this was written “for” the LGBT community, nor did I have my feelings hurt by anything in the book. The themes and writing just did not resonate with me personally, and even on its own, the book felt clunky. Being from Texas and growing up with a lot of ignorant friends and family, I totally appreciate what the author is doing here. The method of delivery was just not for me! Totally understand why many people might enjoy it.

I do want to say that I think if you are including anyone from historically disenfranchised or minority groups as characters in your book, you are inviting scrutiny on the portrayal of said characters, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing (yes, even if that is not the main point of the book). I appreciate the opportunity to dialogue!

TL;DR - I didn’t dislike this book because of the homophobia exhibited by the characters, I disliked it because of the writing of the characters and the fact that I was bored out of my mind.
:)

3 stars- if you feel compelled you can see my review here.

a quick summary of my feelings:
Two men only caring about their gay sons once they were dead didn't sit well but there was SOME redemption after reading their story. Author excelled at tough-guy banter and guns-blazing scenes but was a very amateur writer who overused metaphors to an extreme degree and they weren't done well, either.