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Realized I was reading book club books all wrong after one meeting
I used to skip the discussion questions at the end until a member called me out for missing a key theme about loyalty. Now I read them first to know what to look for. Anybody else guilty of treating those like homework instead of clues?
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oscarwright2mo ago
...and my buddy Mark got roasted so bad at his first book club meeting he almost quit. He's the type who reads super fast and just enjoys the story, doesn't overthink it. Well they were discussing this thriller where the narrator was totally unreliable and he straight up said "oh I thought that guy was just a compulsive liar lol" and everyone just stared at him. The moderator finally had to explain the whole concept of an unreliable narrator like he was a kid in school. Now he reads the discussion questions first too, just so he doesn't end up looking clueless again. It's honestly kinda genius, treating them like a cheat sheet for what actually matters to the group.
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wren3072mo ago
Picked up that trick from a podcast about how book clubs actually work. They interviewed this editor who said the discussion questions are basically the author or publisher telling you what they think the book is about. Makes sense if you think about it. I used to read them after finishing, but now I flip to the back before I even start chapter one. It doesn't ruin the story for me, it just gives me a map. Your buddy Mark should try it, saves him from getting the collective stare of judgment.
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