14
Our club read 'The Road' and 'Station Eleven' back to back
We did Cormac McCarthy's book first, then the Emily St. John Mandel one. The big fight was about which bleak future felt more real. Half the group said 'The Road' was too heavy, just misery. The other half, me included, thought 'Station Eleven' had more hope, so it hit harder. Anyone else have a book club split over two similar books?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
river18220d ago
That split happens all the time with my friends, not just books. We'll watch two movies about the same tough topic, and some need that sliver of hope to let the message in. Others think the pure bleak version is more honest. It's like whether you need a little sugar to help the medicine go down.
8
masona6220d agoMost Upvoted
Used to think the pure bleak version was always better, but @river182 is right about needing that sliver of hope sometimes. A totally dark story can just make people shut down and miss the point. Now I see both ways can be honest, depending on who's watching.
5