My book club argued for 45 minutes about whether the narrator was reliable or just lying

3 comments

3 Comments

Right?! That's exactly what I'm saying. My book group once spent a solid hour debating whether the main character's childhood memories were actually real or if she just made them up (the author left it super vague on purpose). It got so heated that two people almost stopped talking to each other over it. The snacks were long gone by the time we finally gave up and moved on to another topic. Some people just can't let a mystery be a mystery, I guess.

blakem3714d ago

People get so caught up in being right they forget it's just a story" - that line got me, man. I used to be that guy, the one who had to figure everything out and nail down the "correct" interpretation. I'd dig through every line looking for clues like I was solving a murder case. But actually hearing about your book group going at it for an hour over something left vague on purpose made me realize how stupid that is. You're right, the author wanted it ambiguous. Now I just let mysteries be mysteries and enjoy the ride instead of trying to win an argument about a made-up person's memories. Saves me the headache and I actually leave book club liking the people I was with.

andrew_rodriguez14d ago

Is it really that deep though? 45 minutes arguing about a fictional character's truthfulness just sounds exhausting. Half the time in these books, the whole point is that you're not supposed to know for sure. It's like arguing about whether a dream actually happened or not. People get so caught up in being "right" they forget it's just a story. Can't y'all just agree to disagree and move on to the snacks?