All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews - Fetch Book Group discussion thread

4 watchers

McGoohan Dec 2015 4:45pm, 1 Dec 2015 19,854 posts	0 McGoohan This is a thread for discussion of this book. Read on and write on if you have read it!
mulbs Dec 2015 4:24pm, 17 Dec 2015 11,558 posts	0 mulbs Quite liked this one, I have three sisters who I love dearly but can't imagine having a relationship with any of them that's so kindred-spirity-I feel-your-painy though . . . maybe I'm just cold-hearted? found the pattern within the family interesting, along with the idea of whether it's stronger to stay and fight or to end it. I did think at one point that it would be Elf who survived and Yoli who went. I've a relative who has mental health issues and his experiences have been somewhat mixed but thankfully not as bleak as described here.
Columba Dec 2015 6:10pm, 20 Dec 2015 8,662 posts	0 Columba I was intrigued by this book for about the first one-third or one-quarter, but then stopped being able to believe in the characters. Possibly, as mulbs says, the "kindred spirit I feel your pain" is just not credible. By the time I was getting towards the end, I didn't care whether Elf - or anyone else - lived or died. It wasn't just Elf and Yoli, but their mother and her sister too. And Julia and Elf.
westmoors Jan 2016 1:26pm, 6 Jan 2016 742 posts	0 westmoors I really struggled with this, not because of the subject matter, more to do with the writing style. Are quotation marks a thing of the past now? I often had to re-read sections as I hadn't realised conversations had started/stopped. I didn't feel any connection with any of the characters which probably didn't help either. Took me a long time to read as I just wasn't compelled to pick it up. Gave it a 6/10.

Got something to say?

To join the discussion, sign in or join us.

About This Thread

Maintained by McGoohan

This is a thread for discussion of this book. Read on and write on if you have read it!

Related Threads

bookgroup
books

The Doctor K Cup

This year sees the fifth edition of our annual challenge in memory of the Fetchies who have sadly passed away. It's named after Doctor K, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2017

Find out how to join in