Discussion Question #3 - (Chapters 22-32)

[Catie]

Happy Monday Everyone!

This week's discussion for Mosquitoland deals with Chapters 22-32. At this point in the novel, I was hooked to the storyline and loved Mim, Walt and Beck.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book were during these chapters as well. And, I think they really helped define and show how much this journey changed and molded Mim.

"I had people. Who loved me. People who cheated to lose. There's really something to this, Iz, something that separates me from Shadow Kid. And I think that is what makes the storm pass." (pg. 174)

"How is it possible I've forged deeper relationships with them in two or three days than I ever did with anyone else in sixteen years prior? You spend your life roaming the hillsides, scouring the four corners of the earth, searching desperately for just one person to fucking get you. And I'm thinking, if you can find that, you've found home...I'm done roaming hillsides, I've scoured the corners of the earth, And I've found my people." (pg. 250-51)

A big part of Mim's journey deals with these human connections she's made along the way. How do you think these connections have shaped and affected Mim? And why were these connections so important to her character development and how did this shape her view of herself and her need for her medication?

The idea and definition of love is also addressed in this section.
Mim states,"I've always figured, if love was in the cards for me, I'd find it, or capture it - never did I think I'd fall into it. Falling in love is boxes of chocolates and carnations, will-he-or-won't-he, fumbly kisses, awkward pauses, zits at inopportune times, three a.m. phone conversations. In other words, not me. But listening to Walt's snores in the bed of a pickup name Phil, I can't help but think, of course. This is the only way it would happen for me. Imperfect. Supremely odd. Fast. A love born not of growth, but of change." (pg. 230)

Do you think this is an accurate portrayal of love? How did you define love when you were a teenager, how do you define it now?

And finally, David Arnold does a great job of balancing the serious and the light-hearted throughout his book. One of my most favorite ways he does this, is his use of pop culture. When Mim and Beck take Walt to the vet, since none of the other clinics are open or available, Arnold references Seinfeld in this scene. This part was so funny! What affect do these pop culture references have on you, the reader? Did you find Mim more endearing with her quirky sayings and these references embedded throughout the novel? Did you think these light-hearted moments helped balance out the deeper issues of mental illness?

Obviously there is so much more that could be discussed in this section, if there were any other parts that really got to you, or you would like to discuss in more detail issues that you are passionate about that have been read so far, please feel free to post on this discussion thread! I am excited to hear your thoughts!

[Kimberly]

I don't consider myself very good at analyzing books, so please excuse me if I skip discussion points that I have no answers too haha.

I think love is different for everyone. I really like how Mim describes what she thought love would be versus what it really was for her though. As a teenager I had no real definition of love, it was a far away concept to me. I didn't have a boyfriend until college and though I saw my parents healthy functional loving relationship they were my parents and as a teenager their level of love seemed foreign and distant like something into the future. My experience with love is a combination of Mim's descriptions. Many 3AM phone calls, imperfect, supremely odd, slow and unseen for a while, yet exactly what I needed and ultimately the best thing to ever happen to me.

I absolutely loved the pop culture references throughout the book, they made me feel even more connected to Mim as a character. Every time I could relate to something she had watched, read, experienced I grew to adore her character even more. In particular for me were her earlier references to Jurassic Park and how that had helped bond a friendship that spanned years and new traditions. I finished reading Jurassic Park just prior to starting Mosquitoland and of course found every one of her critiques of the film versus book spot on. However in addition to this I appreciated the implications of how something as simple as reading the same book can spark acquaintances and friendships with people you may otherwise have never associated. I went to my first book club at a local library to discuss Jurassic Park and I would never have met or likely spoken to the individuals there in any other capacity and yet I found myself thoroughly enjoying all discussions we had and being drawn to return to the club the following month. I do believe that the pop culture references, bits of sarcasm and wit helped balance out the more serious issues within the book. I must say I liked this book in particular because it addressed deeper issues such as mental health so well, it brought to light how real people deal with such things not simply how Hollywood or the media portrays mental health.