Let’s discuss the sinister prologue that really sets the stage and amps up the tension from the very beginning. Monica Howard is anxiously awaiting the return of her daughter from camp, but when her daughter arrives, something seems off. What did you notice about the interactions between Monica and Casey? Did you have a sense of what was to come? I really loved this line from Casey when she described her experience at camp: “Meredith—Mrs. Glover—told us it’s like suicide to change who you are. That most people are too afraid ever to admit they might be wrong” (12). Do you think that’s true? What has it been like when you’ve tried to change who you are? And did this prologue whet your appetite for things to come?
“Meredith—Mrs. Glover—told us it’s like suicide to change who you are. That most people are too afraid ever to admit they might be wrong” (12). Do you think that’s true? What has it been like when you’ve tried to change who you are?
I do think that’s true. As a trans person it was terrifying to realize that I had to change almost everything about myself because it was wrong. I had a lot of resistance from friends and family but I knew that if I didn’t then the suicide wasn’t going to be metaphorical. It was a deeply spiritual experience to lay to rest the person I had been and to become the person I wanted to be. It was the best decision of my life.
Change while it can be frightening and painful is a natural, inevitable, and powerful process (like the tectonic plates of the earth constantly shifting). Embracing the process of change rather than fighting it makes all the difference in whether it feels like you’re killing yourself or not.
Even though some of blurbs about this book reference Invasion of the Body Snatchers, I was still surprised by the end of this chapter. I think that’s because the author does such a good job immersing us inside a normal story of mother-daughter-family strife. Besides the speculative fiction aspects of the story, the relationships felt so real.
We all have a 'view' of who we are, what we have been told we are, what has been 'baked in' since childhood. Life is change if you live it. Living it and growing yourself into who YOU want to be is the major purpose. My guide is love. Is what I am doing, saying and being loving?
Yikes, I hadn’t read any reviews in preparation for reading the book. I’m buckling in. As for change, I’ve never changed my core but have often changed circumstances. I’ve grown and adjusted, but can’t say I’ve changed.
“Meredith—Mrs. Glover—told us it’s like suicide to change who you are. That most people are too afraid ever to admit they might be wrong” (12). Do you think that’s true? What has it been like when you’ve tried to change who you are?
I do think that’s true. As a trans person it was terrifying to realize that I had to change almost everything about myself because it was wrong. I had a lot of resistance from friends and family but I knew that if I didn’t then the suicide wasn’t going to be metaphorical. It was a deeply spiritual experience to lay to rest the person I had been and to become the person I wanted to be. It was the best decision of my life.
Change while it can be frightening and painful is a natural, inevitable, and powerful process (like the tectonic plates of the earth constantly shifting). Embracing the process of change rather than fighting it makes all the difference in whether it feels like you’re killing yourself or not.
Even though some of blurbs about this book reference Invasion of the Body Snatchers, I was still surprised by the end of this chapter. I think that’s because the author does such a good job immersing us inside a normal story of mother-daughter-family strife. Besides the speculative fiction aspects of the story, the relationships felt so real.
We all have a 'view' of who we are, what we have been told we are, what has been 'baked in' since childhood. Life is change if you live it. Living it and growing yourself into who YOU want to be is the major purpose. My guide is love. Is what I am doing, saying and being loving?
Yikes, I hadn’t read any reviews in preparation for reading the book. I’m buckling in. As for change, I’ve never changed my core but have often changed circumstances. I’ve grown and adjusted, but can’t say I’ve changed.