MPC's Book Club News

Author: Terry Cornish & Cathay Snyder
May 10, 2023

MPC's Book Club had a wonderful discussion Tuesday, April 25 on Matt Haig's novel, The Midnight Library. The plot of this novel definitely requires some "suspension of disbelief" as we read about Nora's opportunities to resolve her many regrets in life by exploring parallel universes where she can change some of these decisions. It was interesting to discuss how her alternative lives did not lead to a happier existence and eventually led to her new appreciation of her "root life." This plot also led to discussion of our own lives and thoughts that we may have had about the "roads not taken." In addition to Nora we enjoyed meeting Mrs. Elm, the very influential librarian in her life, as well as her friends, family, and employers, whose lives were also affected by Nora's choices in these parallel universes. We saw connections between this book and "It's a Wonderful Life" as well as The Time Traveler's Wife.The novel also includes many thought-provoking ideas, from quite a few philosophers as well as Haig himself. This is a novel that would lead to even more discussion with each reading.

Hope that many of you can meet with us on May 23 at 7 p.m., when we discuss Horse by Geraldine Brooks. A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and one of the greatest racehorses in American history inspired this novel by author Geraldine Brooks and is based on the true story of the 19th century record-breaking thoroughbred, Lexington. The story begins in 1850 as Jarret, an enslaved groom in Kentucky and a foal form a bond of understanding that helps the horse to victories across the South. During the Civil War, Jarret, Lexington, and the young artist who had painted the horse and now fights for the Union Army, reunite on a perilous journey. It continues to 1954 as a gallery owner becomes obsessed with the nineteenth century oil painting of Lexington. And then the story takes the reader to DC in 2019 when a scientist and an art historian find themselves connected through their shared interest in the horse. Horse is a gripping, multi-layered story of the legacy of enslavement and racism in America.

Happy Reading!
 

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