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Read Along And Q & A with David Staniforth - Imperfect Strangers - From September 1st
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Stefanie
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Sep 05, 2015 06:41AM
I am almost halfway through; I am not sure how this thread is unfolding in terms of spoilers so I am going to stay out until I finish. But I WILL BE BACk.. lol Thanks for doing this with us David!!
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It's a pleasure, Stefanie. Thank you to everyone who is participating, I'm enjoying it, and really looking forward to more in depth discussion.Spoilers have been very minimal, so far. I assume we'll reach a point where spoilers are permitted.
Stefanie wrote: "I am almost halfway through; I am not sure how this thread is unfolding in terms of spoilers so I am going to stay out until I finish. But I WILL BE BACk.. lol Thanks for doing this with us David!!"Hey Stef! Saw your name in here so thought I would pop in. I've been staying out of here as well until I'm finished (56% through) We might be finishing at the same time. Be back soon David and will catch up on some of the other questions already asked :)
Kath wrote: "That was something that struck me, David. I wondered how I would react to Keith - would I try to be kind and helpful or would I be with the crowd who scoffed at him. You like to think you'd reach o..."The story is so successful because it leaves the reader feeling uncomfortable. It challenges us.
That's a good way of looking at it, Kath.
Not wanting anyone to miss out, I hope it's appropriate to post a reminder that Imperfect Strangers will return to full price on September 8th.Amazon link: http://smarturl.it/imperfect-strangers
People who are still reading might want to give an estimate as to when they might be done so that a free discussion can start regarding the ending of the book. I have read it.
How many of you have finished already?I'd been away for a while so I couldn't read. I left off after 11 pages. Resuming now!
Hi all!Im just starting now so will join in more after I've finished too. I'm fast so wont be long :)
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David wrote: "Really pleased to hear your emotions are all over the place, as that was my aim. Is it just that way with Keith, or does Sally cause you to switch also?"Hey David, Honestly I switch my emotions more with Sally than with Keith! I am about 70% through now and Sally is the one I feel I can't get a handle on. Her motivations for kindness to Keith seem to fall in three arenas: Selfishness ( she needs someone to take her dog out), 2. Kindness (she feels bad for him) 3. Spite( after the end of her relationship she doesn't want anyone telling her what to do; so she is rebelling against her friends desires for her to "drop" Keith)
I want to like Sally, then I want to scream " You are leading him on!!" I know she can't know how he is interpreting her behavior at some points. ( Like when he assumed she took a long time to answer the question "Am I really your friend?" and she thought it obvious that she would have answered immediately if he was)
But she is going out to the movies with him weekly and accepting expensive gifts; she has to know that this man isn't "all there" and that he has a thing for her. SO I am more torn about Sally than Keith (sorry to go on a rant there lol)
Jean wrote: "I had mixed feelings about Sally throughout the book. I loved the voice of Keith's mother that played in his head. Perhaps she really spoke like that, or perhaps that's merely the way Keith heard/..."
I completely agree with this Jean. My mind conjured up a clear picture of "Mother" even though we never really get a detailed description of her
I think I may have overlooked this completely and it doesn't have any real bearing on the story, but I am curious: Where does Sally work? What does she do?
Faouzia wrote: "Very interesting interview :) I liked how you described readers as fish, Well you certainly caught me with your books :)Back to "Imperfect Strangers", i really liked the fact that the story was t..."
Me too Faouzia!! One of my favorite aspects of the book at this point is seeing the same scene told through the eyes of both Sally and Keith. I notice I end up laughing out loud at how differently the two interpret the exact same events!
Perri wrote: "David wrote: "I've never run across an actual Keith, but I have run across quite a few people each having one or more of the traits he has. Most particular for me are those that can't take a hint, ..."I am right with you about the bullying Perry. Of all the things in the crazy world that drive me nuts, bullying is at the top of the list. When I first started the book I thought hard nosed Kerry would be a character I would like, but at this point I hate her. She is just so full of hate and venom and spews it on those that her weaker than her. I always want to say to that type: "Pick on someone on your own size!!"
Stefanie wrote: "Perri wrote: "David wrote: "I've never run across an actual Keith, but I have run across quite a few people each having one or more of the traits he has. Most particular for me are those that can't..."And I get your passion for the characters. I read this story last year, but even reading comments now, I get worked up remembering certain characters and events. That must mean good writing, David! :)
Thanks, Perri; nice of you too say.Stefanie, wow, lot to comment on there, but I guess they are more observations than questions. Sally has an administrative position in an office. There is no exact statement about what exactly, but the computer on the desk and ream of paper hopefully indicates some kind of clerical work.
Me too, Perri. It's been quite a while since I read it, but my feelings for the characters has been coming back after reading all these posts. Stef, I cared about Keith a lot. I cared for Sally too, but as you point out, she certainly had her flaws, which tested my feelings for her. Well, so did Keith, but for some reason, I unwaveringly cared about what happened to him all the way through to the end.
Stefanie wrote: "Faouzia wrote: "Very interesting interview :) I liked how you described readers as fish, Well you certainly caught me with your books :)Back to "Imperfect Strangers", i really liked the fact that..."
Sometimes i was really astonished how a simple act (through Sally point of view) was analysed by Keith!!! it was really great!
Pretty sad though, didn't you think, Faouzia?
Yes, very sad but scary too!! Actually it made think of all the times i said things lightly not aware how they might be taken!!
I know it, Faouzia. I think I have been guilty of the same thing!!!
I think everyone must be guilty of that from time to time.
Maybe it was more of an observation but did anyone notice how Keith talked as if he was alot older.....he said things I think I only heard my grandfather say. That also could of been the turn off with him from Sally's perspective. And plus him growing up around adults and not having so many friends ever .
meaning that's the reason he talked the way he did.
I am trying to find much use of Kerry's character, and wondering about her sexuality. She seems to be so lonely and consequently takes it out on all around her. I see not much use for Steve at all, he is way too narcissistic.
I think Kerry is probably gay. I think Steve is a real loser.
My thought when writing Steve, was that, other than his original error, he too finds himself in a situation that is made worse due to the influence of others. He then reacted to that situation. Left to their own devices , him and Sally may have soon made up and moved on. What I think is great though, is that every reader, of every book, has their own interpretation based upon their own baggage and life experience. Just because I wrote the book, I don't believe that my interpretation is the only valid one.
Dana wrote: "meaning that's the reason he talked the way he did."Glad you picked up on that, Dana. It was intentional, I'm pleased to say.
That's a very cool approach, David! I love that!
David wrote: "I think everyone must be guilty of that from time to time."I completely agree David. For example, when she touched his elbow at the movie theater while trying to explain that she couldn't continue their weekly movie trip. I have done things like that plenty of times not realizing how someone else might interpret it.
Dana wrote: "Maybe it was more of an observation but did anyone notice how Keith talked as if he was alot older.....he said things I think I only heard my grandfather say. That also could of been the turn off w..."I agree with this Dana. As an aside, when my niece was young she spent a ton of time around my dad (who was in his late 60's and my aunt who was in her early 70's) and as a result her vocabulary and some of her mannerisms were very "adult" compared to her peers
Jean wrote: "That's a very cool approach, David! I love that!"I agree Jean!! Although I picked up on the fact that other people meddling in the lives of their friends/coworkers is complicating things I overlooked it as an overarching theme of the text. I really like that David!!
Like with the last group read will their be a point in the next week or so where we can start righting freely, assuming most people involved in the thread have finished by then?
David wrote: "My thought when writing Steve, was that, other than his original error, he too finds himself in a situation that is made worse due to the influence of others. He then reacted to that situation. Lef..."Wow, that's good stuff David, and I can see how true this is just reading through this thread! Everyone seems to have a stronger feeling towards Keith or Sally, all with valid reasons. Me, I'm team Keith. The scene where Sally does a brief self analysis on her relationship with Keith (view spoiler) was so spot on and helped me understand what it was about her that was off-putting to me.
I've finished, so review to come shortly!
For those who have also finished,you can still discuss more in depth, just hide any spoilers as I did above. At the start of your spoiler type < then the word spoiler (no space between the < and the s) and end with >.
Type your text ,then type the same thing at the end, only add the backslash / after the first bracket and before the s. :)
Good to have confirmation with the situation of your niece, Stefanie.
Thanks Jan. It really does amaze me how views of a book differ from reader to reader. I'm in agreement with a literary critic named Woolfgang Iser, who theorises that the reader brings as much to a story as the author, by filling in blanks between the printed word. The more ambiguous the text, the more room the reader has for making the story their own.
David wrote: "Thanks Jan. It really does amaze me how views of a book differ from reader to reader. I'm in agreement with a literary critic named Woolfgang Iser, who theorises that the reader brings as much to ..."Great theory and one I can get behind! Helps explain a lot of those reviews that can be so different from mine. I have wondered 'Did we read the same book?!’ so many times and will have to remember it's all about the interpretation.
David wrote: "Worth looking at Iser's theories, if it's of interest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgan..."Thanks for the link, will read up on this!
No question, David, but I thank you and all the readers for this. It's fascinating reading! It helps refresh my memory of the book.
Christine wrote: "I think Kerry is probably gay. I think Steve is a real loser."Agreed - and bitter and confused about her sexuality and why she can't be normal?
David wrote: "My thought when writing Steve, was that, other than his original error, he too finds himself in a situation that is made worse due to the influence of others. He then reacted to that situation. Lef..."In books and movies, we can choose to not like different people or personality types. In real life, I try very hard to like everyone. However, I must admit that I would keep my distance from Steve and try not to be involved with him. In this particular scene, I read that Steve was almost always an abusive, narcissistic jerk and that Sally was a very weak character that is a very insecure and terribly lacking in self-confidence.
A very different interpretation.
I fully appreciate and respect your interpretation, Cameron. We each bring a liitle of our selves to any story, and real life situations.
Melissa wrote: "Great book David! Loved it!"Thanks Melissa. Really pleased to hear that.
I hated Steve and Sally, but I loved the book! :-)
Still good to know. Strong reaction either way has to be a good thing, right?
Oh gosh, just catching up on all the posts and I'm laughing at the strong reactions to both Keith AND Sally!!My interpretation was that Keith was a product of his own environment...bound to snap one day. With Sally, I think she wanted to believe her heart was in the right place but there was a selfishness to her that I found unattractive. (But absolutely necessary to her character for this story to shine!) Kudos to you David for creating such memorable characters that are causing such diverse emotions!!
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