Notebook(blog)

Report - Book club in Kingston, ON

I mentioned that I am working on a second novel. It's going well, but some days are tricky. The day I took the train to Kingston, I was particularly fed up.

Trains are great for thinking. The storm had left a thick coat of ice on the fields. While staring out the window, I imagined skating alongside the train.

I also decided to scrap the novel and start something new. I cooked up a story about a 80-year-old woman with a furnace that looks like an Octopus. It breaks down and she falls in love with the repair man, only to die from asbestos exposure shortly after. Or something like that.

I got to Kingston and had dinner with the book club. Among other things, we talked about how a landscape can shape perspective. Mountains can make you feel claustrophobic. Trees can make you feel crowded, or open sky can make you feel exposed. Ice and snow can be soothing or threatening. A lot depends on where you've been and what you are accustomed too.

The women in the book club had read my book closely. Their questions were intriguing. I was reminded of a few things I'd forgotten.

I got home and decided not to scrap the novel. Maybe I'll write a story about a woman and her furnace. Perhaps she'll love to skate in her back yard. But, thanks to the book club in Kingston, I'm not writing that book yet.

Glasses of wine = 2
Hard questions = 5 (very thorough)
Baby carrots = 0

This is the book club, with a handsome Christmas tree in the background:

Thank you to Trisha for hosting and to the book club for the great conversation (and sending me in the right direction).

Report - Rosedale United book club (no. 9)

Well, I think if I'd been told a year ago that I would spend an evening discussing the sex scene in The Line Painter with the book club at my mother's church, I may have flinched. Not so now. We had an intriguing and insightful conversation about how we represent abstract ideas with physical gestures.

We also discussed what 'the north' means and our relationship to the vast landscape in Canada. We looked at a road map, to pinpoint Hearst, that showed Southern Ontario on one side and Northern Ontario on the other. Flip from one side to the other and the regions look much the same size.

Aaron pointed out that this is misleading. Northern Ontario is shown in a much smaller scale, meaning it is way bigger than most people think.

A map communicates much more than direction.

Tally:

Glasses of wine = 0 (tea, earl grey with a twist)
Hard questions = 6
Baby carrots = 0

This is the book club at Rosedale United Church, with a map of Ontario:

Thank you to Caroline for organizing my visit and to the book club for the great conversation and questions.

Report - Marlyn's book club (no. 8)

I arrived in London, Ontario at 2pm and had lunch with Marlyn. We went to Pat's house for the meeting, where I ate hors d'oeuvres. After the meeting, we went out to dinner. This is my kind of book club.

We discussed, among other things, the non-linear structure of The Line Painter. While the main narrative is unfolding, the backstory, which reveals much of the character's motivations, is told back to front.

After the meeting, a woman asked me about how I think. She was a math teacher and tackles problems in order. I said I do the opposite. I tend to jump around until I find a way in. She wasn't surprised to hear this, given the structure of my book (nor was she surprised to hear I didn't do very well in math).

I wonder, given my sparse style, if I give enough to people who don't think the same way I do? Are people who are good at Algebra less likely to enjoy The Line Painter?

Glasses of wine = 2
Hard questions = I lost count because I was trying to focus on my answers
Baby carrots = 0

This is Maryln's book club:

A special thank you to Marlyn for organizing and to Pat for hosting. I had a lovely time and look forward to doing it again in four years (or so).

Report - Katie's book club (no. 7)

I wasn't able to attend Katie's book club meeting. I was still on the road, driving home from the Husky Truck Stop just outside of Kingston.

In case you hadn't already guessed, I take these gigs primarily for the food. Book clubs, as a rule, have great food (just ask me about No. 2's cold cuts). I was sad to hear that I missed a terrific dinner and a great conversation. My loss.

Katie kept a tally:

Glasses of wine = 2
Hard questions = 5 (that's my count from the email they sent ahead)
Baby carrots = 0

Here is Katie's book club:

Thank you to Katie for organizing and to the rest for taking the time to read my book. Did I mention Frank brushed his teeth?

Report - Gefen's book club (no. 6)

Gefen asked if my novel is a story about writing a book, because of the references to story and plot. I'm still not entirely sure.

I was thinking about the process of writing, but also about how we position ourselves when telling stories about adventures to friends.

I once had an encounter with a Grizzly when I was hiking alone just outside of Canmore, Alberta. The long version makes for great dinner party talk. When I tell the story, I can hold the attention of the table.

There's another way I could tell the story. I saw a Grizzly in a meadow, it looked at me and later went away. It was a big deal to me and it felt scary, but nothing actually happened. The adventure was something I manufactured in my head.

Glasses of wine = 0 (met at 2pm and I obeyed the 5pm rule)
Hard questions =  many
Cuss words learned = 0
Baby carrots = 0

Here is Gefen's book club:

Thank you to Gefen for hosting and to the book club for the wonderfully relaxed afternoon. I felt like an old friend by the time I left. And to Thomas, for being the first to give my book a really good chew.

Report - Colleen's book club (no. 4)

I hadn't met Colleen before and I didn't know any members of the book club. When I walked into the house, I realized they knew part of me. They had read my book.

Colleen has recently moved into her house, which has this amazing diamond shaped garden. It's funny to be a stranger and walk into someone's house. It's a very personal place.

A woman in the group asked if the book was based on my life. No, I said, I made it up. But, for some, this doesn't make sense. What other experience could I have? I've found that no amount of explaining will resolve this--a reader needs to grapple with the question on her own.

Carrie, the main character in The Line Painter, isn't entirely sympathetic. She is impulsive, difficult and failing to cope with her grief. To some, she is strong. To others, she is naive. There is little space between what she thinks and says. She provoked a strong reaction from the group.

But, I was well behaved. I enjoyed myself. At the end of the evening, Colleen's friends asked for a tour of her new house. I was invited along.

I think Carrie might have been shown the door.

The tally:

Glasses of wine = 1
Hard questions =  5 (teachers don't let anyone off the hook)
Baby carrots = 4

Here is Colleen's book club:

A special thank you to Colleen for hosting and to the book club for taking a chance on my book. Is a website entry as good as a postcard?

Report - Amy's book club (no. 3)

Amy's book club had been on my website and figured they could take Paige's book club in a fight. Even though outnumbered, I think it's probably true.

This group had a visceral reaction to the book. They found Frank sexy. We talked about adultery, monogamy and chocolate donuts.

The tally:

Glasses of wine = 2.5 (red)
Hard questions =  4
Baby carrots = 9-15, I lost count

Here is Amy's book club:

Thanks for having me ladies. It was a great night and I loved the part when we didn't talk about the book.

p.s. Report on book club no. 2 is coming soon.

Report - Paige's book club (no. 1)

PJ Harvey thinks it's impossible to misinterpret one of her songs. When she finishes an album, she hands it over, like she is giving it away to listeners. It follows that she is notoriously secretive about her lyrics. She refuses to take songs apart for people.

I'm not the same. I did have intentions when I wrote The Line Painter, or at least I formed them as I wrote. I want to be involved, to some extent, in people's reactions and I'm interested when they are not as I expect.

But, at Paige's book club last night, I found I do have a line. I hadn't realized it was so firm until I was asked a question about Frank, the line painter in my book. I immediately knew that I would never tell anyone anything more about Frank. I've given him away.

The tally:

Glasses of wine = 1, plus a top up (very nice dry white)
Hard questions = 5
Baby carrots = 6

Here is Paige's book club

Thank you to each one.  After spending 2+ years alone writing my book, being grilled by 11 lovely ladies who will think, question and disagree--it's all a writer can ask.