Gerald's Game (February read)

[Brittany]

I think what you're saying is true, Jaro, especially in terms of some of his other work. I like the concrete monster in GG but I guess I wish it hadn't been a human monster.

[Shell]

I'll come back to this thread when I've finished reading the book, I'm worried there might be a few spoilers in there!!

[Corky]

Kerry wrote: "Question for the group...what does everyone make of the voices in Jessie's head? [spoilers removed] Does anybody else feel that they might be a result of dissociative identity disorder and came bac..."

I wouldn't necessarily say it a dormant personality disorder that rose to the surface in a time of extreme stress. I personally see it as her way of trying to find order in chaos and try to keep the terror at bay by speaking in her head like this. I felt more often than not that she was actually verbalizing vocally what she is thinking as a means of "keeping it together" rather than it being an internal monologue of sorts. That being said, it does serve the purpose of illiciting suspense and the feelings of isolation the she "vocalizes" as she tries her best to get herself out of the situation she is in.

[Shell]

75% (view spoiler)[Jessie finally gets the handcuffs off... how is phoning for help not the first thing she does?! (hide spoiler)]

[Corky]

Shell wrote: "75% [spoilers removed]"

She is still shellshocked by the whole deal. I can't necessarily say that I wouldn't have reacted the way she did but I do think she was at least "there" somewhere by what she chose to stop the bleeding in her wrists.

[Shell]

Corky wrote: "Shell wrote: "75% [spoilers removed]"

She is still shellshocked by the whole deal. I can't necessarily say that I wouldn't have reacted the way she did but I do think she was at least "there" some..."

That's what I put it down to as well, but it's a bit of a stretch. I think most people would go straight to the phone in that situation. (view spoiler)[I'm just up to the part where she finally does go to the phone and it's not working anyway!! (hide spoiler)]

[Corky]

You would be amazed at human behavior when confronted with dangerously extreme situations. There are plenty of documented circumstances where a person acted in a way that was counter intuitive in a situation that borders on life or death. In some people, the rational thought center of the brain is completely disabled and the person runs on the more primitive portion of their brain. In these circumstances, people will not act like what you "think" is normal for the situation. They may do something or say something that leads you to believe they are a banana shy of a bunch. You may also ask yourself " what is up with this person?" This happens a lot with people that have suffered with PTSD. The fight or flight mechanism is triggered in a way that may not make sense to a "normal" person. Reactions to exterior forces causes the mind to find a way to deal with the circumstance the victim has encountered in a way that doesn't make sense at all

Look at Jessie from the perspective of PTSD and when you do, you will find that her reactions are not all that uncommon.

[Nick]

Jaro wrote: "Nick wrote: "Brittany wrote: "Agreed, Jaro. I'm not sure that I wanted the supernatural aspect resolved. I liked the otherworldly feeling of the man in the corner, and the link it created with the ..."

I know exactly what you are getting at and I do agree, Jaro. If monsters are in a story they should be concrete, not mere shadows. (Although monsters from the subconscious can be very real too. - Check out the classic old sci-fi masterpiece Forbidden Planet sometime.) Still, I have to admit that I really loved Duma Key.

[Stevo]

I finished over the weekend. I felt the last quarter wasn't as gripping but it was still pretty great overall. I thought Prince and the stuff that happened during the eclipse were the, umm, 'best' bits shall we say.