On Saturday afternoon, I visited a mother-daughter book club up in northern Westchester. It was a lovely afternoon–hot, but okay on Stacey, Sarah and Laura’s deck in the shade, sipping lemonade spritzers and eating fresh-baked caramel brownies. I brought along my friend Elizabeth who was a lot of fun, talking to me across the circle about all the things she loves in the book. I had attended this book club about a year ago and although I remembered nobody’s name, everyone’s faces had been indelibly etched in my brain. I think this was a special group––all thoughtful girls and moms, and each one so different.
Some were opinionated and interested in pushing up against the story, seeing if I could defend it. Others pointed out what they thought were disloyalty on the part of characters that I (a Hobbesian!) hadn’t thought about at all. Others were looking for themes, wanting to go deeper. Others still were interested in discussing threads that delved away from the story––imagining themselves experimenting in life on the frontier. One mom, Judith, analyzed the book in terms of its themes of connection and authenticity in a way that made my heart stop beating for a second. I have been obsessed with connection and authenticity in every phase of my life, but I hadn’t seen this book as yet another example of this until she spoke. I felt like she was a palm reader. All in all, a kind of magical afternoon.
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