Hendrix really nailed "southern hospitality". It was difficultfor me not to see James Harris as the personification of white supremacy, and the book club membership - and their spouses - response as common among Southern whites? Failing to see evil when it stares them in the face. In the end, children pay the ultimate price. Many similarities to the Southern system. Mrs Greene's consistent response to Patricia (et al) was one of doubt and suspicion. Brilliant! A complete lack of trust of the "Old Village". One of the better books I've read in a while.
1. Despite the affection and respect with which Hendrix approaches the women in the book, his portrayal also comes across as somewhat mocking at times. Patricia, while ostensibly the heroine, makes some truly baffling choices. The decision to not involve the police is just one.
2. I get that the easy answer is James Harris, but I think you could just as easily argue that it was the husbands, or even the whole patriarchal nature of “polite” Southern society.
3. Even though this story is centered on the women of the book club, I think that you can argue that they are insulated by privilege even in the horror that they faced. The women of Six Mile saw their children die, their homes destroyed, and their families scattered. This seems to me to be a pattern that has repeated in black communities in the south for the last 400 years - ironically (intentionally?) the same amount of time that James Harris has been alive. While Patricia gets the most “screen time,” I would argue that it is Mrs. Greene who is the true heroine of this story. It was she who trusted when she had no reason to. It was she who stood by for what was right consistently and unfailingly. It was she who cleaned up mess after mess - literally and figuratively - that she didn’t make.
1. Why didn’t anyone go to police after Slick was attacked? Do you think the women in this book were strong? Why or why not?
I asked the same question. How could they not go to the police? Now, if they were Mrs. Green, I could appreciate why the cops might not be a reassuring presence. But these are well-to-do White suburban moms. I am not sure if the author did a sufficient job of justifying the "that didn't work last time" argument as a reason not to go to the police.
The bad guy is obviously James Harrison, though let's be honest: none of the guys in this novel came off as "good guys." Perhaps the adjectives "good" and "bad" are too simplistic for the husbands in this novel.
I have been so excited to point out that Mrs. Green was the heroine of the story, and Janet beat me to it. Perhaps this fact is more obvious than I thought?
This apparently was a gentle introduction to the vampire genre. However, I had enough taste of it to satisfy for a lifetime. It did deal with lots of issues other than the preyer/preyed upon. Also, there were many places that I thought were hilarious. And, when the author was dealing with the dailiness of the women, I was impressed with his understanding of their lives.
Go to police question: I think that the women were afraid to go because they did not think they would be believed. And I think that the men were clueless. I do wonder what the hospital staff thought.
Well they certainly showed some agency and strength at the end.
Hendrix really nailed "southern hospitality". It was difficultfor me not to see James Harris as the personification of white supremacy, and the book club membership - and their spouses - response as common among Southern whites? Failing to see evil when it stares them in the face. In the end, children pay the ultimate price. Many similarities to the Southern system. Mrs Greene's consistent response to Patricia (et al) was one of doubt and suspicion. Brilliant! A complete lack of trust of the "Old Village". One of the better books I've read in a while.
My answers:
1. Despite the affection and respect with which Hendrix approaches the women in the book, his portrayal also comes across as somewhat mocking at times. Patricia, while ostensibly the heroine, makes some truly baffling choices. The decision to not involve the police is just one.
2. I get that the easy answer is James Harris, but I think you could just as easily argue that it was the husbands, or even the whole patriarchal nature of “polite” Southern society.
3. Even though this story is centered on the women of the book club, I think that you can argue that they are insulated by privilege even in the horror that they faced. The women of Six Mile saw their children die, their homes destroyed, and their families scattered. This seems to me to be a pattern that has repeated in black communities in the south for the last 400 years - ironically (intentionally?) the same amount of time that James Harris has been alive. While Patricia gets the most “screen time,” I would argue that it is Mrs. Greene who is the true heroine of this story. It was she who trusted when she had no reason to. It was she who stood by for what was right consistently and unfailingly. It was she who cleaned up mess after mess - literally and figuratively - that she didn’t make.
1. Why didn’t anyone go to police after Slick was attacked? Do you think the women in this book were strong? Why or why not?
I asked the same question. How could they not go to the police? Now, if they were Mrs. Green, I could appreciate why the cops might not be a reassuring presence. But these are well-to-do White suburban moms. I am not sure if the author did a sufficient job of justifying the "that didn't work last time" argument as a reason not to go to the police.
2. Who is the bad guy in the novel? Why?
The bad guy is obviously James Harrison, though let's be honest: none of the guys in this novel came off as "good guys." Perhaps the adjectives "good" and "bad" are too simplistic for the husbands in this novel.
3. Who is the heroine of this story? Why?
I have been so excited to point out that Mrs. Green was the heroine of the story, and Janet beat me to it. Perhaps this fact is more obvious than I thought?
General Comment
This apparently was a gentle introduction to the vampire genre. However, I had enough taste of it to satisfy for a lifetime. It did deal with lots of issues other than the preyer/preyed upon. Also, there were many places that I thought were hilarious. And, when the author was dealing with the dailiness of the women, I was impressed with his understanding of their lives.
Heroine: Mrs. Green. She had the guts to do the gory work.
Bad Guy: Patricia's husband. His many failings in their relationship. I was glad that she had clarity of mind/heart to decide to end their marriage.
Go to police question: I think that the women were afraid to go because they did not think they would be believed. And I think that the men were clueless. I do wonder what the hospital staff thought.
Well they certainly showed some agency and strength at the end.