Book Club

I finished the book "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova for my book club, and today we are meeting at Starbucks to discuss it. It's kind of weird to call it a 'book club', because it sounds so old, you know? Like we are a flock of old ladies sitting around a living room, reading and discussing books that Oprah recommends, trying our best to sound intelligent, bringing extra material we have researched and photocopied so that everyone knows how "on" you are. Those are the connotations and images that come to mind when I write the words book club down. But it's not that bad. There are only three of us. My best friend Lisa and Anita, an acquaintance I've known for a number of years now. They like to read, but I think we all like slightly different books which is good as it will force me out of my comfort zone, just like this last book.

"Still Alice" is about a Harvard professor that becomes beset by early onset Alzheimer's disease at fifty years old. The book is narrated by the prof herself which heightens the drama and brings the reader into the experience of Alzheimer's. The book is well-written. But it's not a very pretty book to read; the style is more functional than poetic. Yet the book compels one to identify with and empathize with the protagonist. I'm not a big fan of books that have a central subject or agenda at their core, like Alzheimer's or the Holocaust or slavery. But I applaud Genova for imbuing her characters with plausibility and verisimilitude.

The back of the novel contains several discussion and reading guide questions. I've noticed the authors or publishers (I don't know which) have begun putting extra material about the novel at the back of these books. It's a great trend. Smart marketing and good for readers. Some further reading guide questions can be found here.