1. Which character in the book do you relate to, or like, the most? Do you recognize any of your own personality characteristics in Stevie, Lance, Polly, Cherie, Herbert, Crystal, Aunt Janet, Glory, Albert, or Zena?
2. What are the differences in Stevie Barrett’s life pre- and post-bariatric surgery? Would you want to be friends with her? Would you have been friends with her before the operation? If yes, why; and if no, what would have prevented that friendship?
3. Discuss Helen. Did she love both her children? What would it be like to be Helen? How did the author build sympathy for her, even though she threw both daughters over a bridge?
4. What in Stevie’s past brought on her obsession with chairs? What do the chairs reflect about her state of mind? If you built and painted a chair that was a reflection of you, what would it look like? If you built and painted chairs for each other, what would they look like?
1. Oh dear, I REALLY hope I don't have personality traits of a lot of the people on this list. Some of the characters (Hebert, Crystal, Stevie's fat friend (what was her name?)) were RIDICULOUS- almost charactacures. Anyway, I think in some ways I relate to Stevie with her insecurities, although I can't claim to have gone through anything even in the same realm as difficult as she did. I like Stevie's creative outlets for her pain; I like to think I have some of that in me.
ReplyDelete2. Stevie was definitely more vocal after her surgery, and unfortunately now "existed" in the minds of other people- so sad. I would hope I would have been friends with her pre-operation, because she could sure have used a good one. BUt if she was closed off, it would be really hard to get to know her.
3. I think Helen did love her children, in whatever capacity she was capable of love. Her mental illness was just so severe and made it impossible for her to show real love
Ryan and I went to a support group on church on Sunday. It was advertised as a group for people going through something where they need support, and having a special needs kid was listed. So we went, but we were the only people there that weren't suffering or have a family member suffering from mental illness- there were several with bipolar and one with schizophrenia. Even though it was uncomfortable, I'm really glad we went. I can't claim to understand mental illness now or why people who suffer with it act out, but I do have a ton more empathy after hearing their stories, and how much they struggle and long to be "normal".
4. I can't remember the exact story, but it was something to do with Helen and a chair. If I built a chair to represent me, it would be "different"- strong, sturdy, but not traditional. It would have lots of scratches and imperfections.
As I'm thinking about this, I've just realized that chairs are a big part of my life too. Since G can't sit on his own, all day long I am looking for places to sit him. He has lots of seats in the house, but when we are out, it's a challenge because there aren't many options (grocery store, restaurant, work, etc...) I guess that kind of represents how I feel about my life- trying to figure it all out and creatively coming up with solutions to problems most people don't have. So my chair would also have a booster seat attached for my little dude :)
1. I suppose we are supposed to relate to the narrator, Stevie, the most, though I really didn't. I grew impatient with her. I really liked Steve, Lance and Polly and their dedication to each other and their jobs.
ReplyDelete2-4. I'm having trouble answering the questions about each character because I don't think Lamb did a very good job developing them. In my opinion, the book is full of stereotypes and poorly fleshed out characters. Each one was an extreme... Grandma and Grandpa had the PERFECT partnership, Stevie was 100% unhealthy and then gorgeous, Herbert had no redeeming qualities whatsoever, Eileen was a complete bitch, etc. There was no human dimension to them. Most people (that I know, at least) have some good and some not-so-good in them. These characters did not seem like real people at all to me and so I had trouble getting really vested in their futures. The writing seemed juvenile. Of course, I wanted to find out what happened, but still... the only one who really had good and bad was the Aunt. She seemed real to me.
1. I'm not sure I related to any of the characters, as there was no one that was "just like me", but I enjoyed reading about their lives and as the story unfolded and more and more came out etc.
ReplyDelete2. I was saddened that Stevie felt like she was invisible before her surgery, and it is true that society places value on beauty, and how interesting for someone to live on both sides of the equation, to see how people respond differently. I would like to think that I would have been friends with her regardless her size, if we had things in common and she was a nice person (which she seemed to be).
3. Helen was a very difficult character for me. Clearly she was not in her right mind and tormented by the voices, but part of me thinks that the grandparents should have protected the kids. I know, who am I to say, pick grandchildren over a child, but reading of her interactions and harsh words, and eventual bridge throwing disaster was beyond painful for me to read. That was the only part of the book that I did not care for, I felt it was too much time in the past, yes I get it, crazy mother....scarred childhood, but I wanted to know more about Stevie's present and future.
4. E. I like your chair, very nice. And actually it got me thinking, could you bring a booster and buckle in the cart part of the shopping cart and sit G in that? Maybe? I thought her chairs were very interesting and was so happy at the end when others loved them too and she made herself a success. I think it was like therapy for her, the chairs manifested what she was feeling, the pain, or joys of life.
1.. I am not sure I related to one character, but found a few characteristics like me in a few characters.. I was a shy, quiet girl before going off to college and when I left home and was at college for a few nights, I felt like I was a new person and really branched out and became social. Not sure exactly what happened, maybe it was the FREEDOM!!:)
ReplyDelete2. I think that I would have been friends with Stevie no matter what, but I can see how her friendship was falling apart with Eileen. It is like when all your friends are getting married and having k3ids and you are not one of those people, you tend to pull yourself away from that friend for awhile, or at least I have a friend like that now, who is pulling away from me since she does not have kids and it kind of resentful towards me at times:(
3. Oh Helen, I think that mental disorders are very difficult situations for families, especially if they are not willing to admit there really is a problem.. Not to use myself again to answer the question, but my sister is very very shy and has high anxiety, where it is almost painful to speak up in public situations, but it not willing to admit anything is going on with her and will not do anything about it,, It is very difficult to watch and give advice, when she does not want to listen:(
4. I think she painted chairs to get everything that was taking up space in her mind and getting it out of her head and onto something tangible..