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Readalong And Q&A with David Staniforth - Void
Thanks for the link !!And I must add, speaking of characters that I liked SO much....
Wasn't Tom's mother a remarkable woman ??!! Living through what she went through w/ family deaths , her son leaving, and when he returns for his "annual", his coming/going, something that was so difficult for her and didn't completely understand until the end, she never blames him and tells him repeatedly that it was not his fault. Then it was she who says THE words which unlock Tom's mind. Remarkable woman, eh?
Another GREAT character, David !
BTW, songs....Tomorrow AM , ...."Leavin' on a jet plane...."
going to be celebrating some family birthdays in Pensacola = my grandson's 25th = wow! and his mother 51.
So, I may not check in for awhile, but I will be thinking about you all :) You make my day pleasurable as I love discussing good books!
Thank you once again, Betsy. Have yourself a great trip. Hopefully more readers will comment during your absence, and we can enjoy your response at the close of the month. Your input has been great and very much appreciated.
Yes, Tom's mother was another of my favorite characters. She seemed so strong to be able to accept Tom each year, exactly has he was without trying to push him into the reality of the situation, knowing, I think, that he couldn't handle it yet. It must have been very painful for her to have her son not recognize her.
Thanks, Mallory. I love the litery twist of your review.
I was cringing at the part where Tom picks up the young girl, my mind was screaming 'no'! And then it became clear as he knocked on the door. Wonderfully vivid writing.I agree with Betsy and Karen about Tom's mum. What a strong woman, and what a kind tortured soul too.
I finished Void quickly and was sad when I had, since I'd become quite attached to the whole ensemble.
Thanks, Andy. Pleased that scene worked for you in the way I intended. You just never know until the feedback comes in.
Well David, I'm about 13% in and completely hooked! (He just had a gruesome nightmare). I am so tempted to scroll through all these comments above but I'm too afraid I'll catch a spoiler. I'll just pop in with a comment every now and then but will keep my eyes away from everything else. Looking forward to seeing where Tom's (?) journey takes him!
Glad to know that, Jan. Thank you.I think we managed well to avoid spoilers for the first three pages, but then they did begin to creep in. Nothing major, but some giveaways. Hope it continues to grab you as much as it progresses.
David wrote: "Glad to know that, Jan. Thank you.I think we managed well to avoid spoilers for the first three pages, but then they did begin to creep in. Nothing major, but some giveaways. Hope it continues to..."
Well I'm still reading when I should be getting on with my day!!! Cutting myself of now for a bit ;-)
That's what I had to do, Janet - just peek in here every now and then but crack on with the book. You won't be disappointed!
Finished VOID today. A different plot, without a doubt. It surprised me. I've scanned/read through all the comments, and will echo a question Gopal asked--what is the basis for the plot? Although I am not an expert on issues of memory and psychology, this presents to me like an unusual type of amnesia. What motivated you to derive the story? If you answered this already and I missed it, please accept my apology. Cheers!
Thanks for reading Void, Dave, and for your question.I find it difficult to pinpoint exactly where or from what I derived the story, as it grew over many years before I actually wrote it. I briefly mention in answering Gopal that the bridge/tunnel that is mentioned in the story and appears on the cover featured in my childhood.
(view spoiler)
Inspired by this, thinking it would make a good story, I began researching how memory works, to see if it was possible for this to happen. Not only did I discover that it was possible, but that memory loss could be far more reaching. From there the plot grew by a further dimension. The inclusion of the journal was the final piece which transformed all those elements into the story you have read. Therein, it was an organic growth which began from the seed of my own emerging memories and an urban myth that I had known as a child.
Andrew wrote: "That's what I had to do, Janet - just peek in here every now and then but crack on with the book. You won't be disappointed!"Cracking up over here...you called me Janet!! That actually is my legal name but I shortened it after years of 'dammit Janet!’ from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. LOL Only my immediate family still calls me Janet. You must know another Jan/Janet I'm thinking?
Hi David! I just zoomed through all the comments so far. Lots of readers are loving your fabulous book. Tops on the list are the characters, the use of the songs, the premise...I agree with all of that and more! I was really interested in your use of dreams to reveal Tom's psyche to the reader and to himself. What really happened? What did the mind invent to fill in the gaps? What was based on fear? On reality?
Jan wrote: "Andrew wrote: "That's what I had to do, Janet - just peek in here every now and then but crack on with the book. You won't be disappointed!"Cracking up over here...you called me Janet!! That actu..."
Oh sorry, Jan! I hate getting people's names wrong. I composed that on my phone and it's impossible to scroll up once you've begun, I feel bad now :( But i loved Rocky Horror, hehe!
For me, Jean, the musical tags were great, but character is always king. And David painted some pretty vivid characters here, as he did in Imperfect Strangers. Great writing.
I agree, Andrew. As several others have said, all the secondary characters are wonderfully written. Tom, of course, is fascinating. I loved the diary as a way to bridge his past to his present and watch his thought processes.
Andrew-seriously don't feel bad, I enjoyed the mishap, especially how quickly I spotted it. And just a comment to what both you and Jean have stated-I too am loving the diary and think it's brilliant as a way to bring the past and present eventually together.
I can tell that the music is going to reveal a big key to his past. And so fitting, as isn't that what music always does? Nothing can transport me quicker to a certain time or place than a favorite song.
Stephen King does the same thing in his books with music.
I wondered about food. There are instances where Tom's meals are described, and I wondered why the aromas and tastes didn't evoke memories for him, since these are often very powerful senses.
Yes especially the coconut cake. His favorite.
The reason he loves coconut cake is one of the memories he is repressing. Normally the sense of smell is the strongest to evoke memories (at least that is what I was told in college.)
That's correct, Karen, the cake is not actually his favourite, and related to a link of what he was repressing. My thoughts at the time of writing, were that the knowledge is there, but the conscious brain is purposefully keeping it from rising to the surface, selecting what memories it will allow Tom to realise and what it will not. With all of the invoked memories, I reflected on what conjures memories for me. When it came to smells, I did think about the chips soaked in vinegar, but felt that he would have had them so many times that they wouldn't necessarily invoke a particular time and place. Also it was reading about them in the journal that made him fancy eating them, and any resulting memory would have simply taken him to that which he had just read. To my mind, that would make him question if it were real memory or something inspired purely by the reading.
For me, the strongest memories are invoked by music. I imagine though if there was a distinctive small that I associated with just one person, for example, then that smell would remind me of that person.
A strong smell of significance for Tom was the musty dog smell of the shed. It was the similar smells of the cheap hotel room that took him back to the memory of the shed and brought on the nightmare.
Jean wrote: "Hi David! I just zoomed through all the comments so far. Lots of readers are loving your fabulous book. Tops on the list are the characters, the use of the songs, the premise...I agree with all of ..."Jean, I'm assuming these questions are rhetorical. If they are not, I apologise and will attempt to answer them.
With that in mind, if I have inadvertently missed any questions or not fully answered, please do shout up.
Correct, David. And yes, the musty dog bed was a big trigger!
David wrote: "That's correct, Karen, the cake is not actually his favourite, and related to a link of what he was repressing. My thoughts at the time of writing, were that the knowledge is there, but the conscio..."Hi David. Just catching up with the thread now I'm back from holidays. There are some really interesting discussions about the book. I can see what you mean in your first paragraph since I've heard previously that the brain will repress those memories that are most difficult to deal with.
Back from my Pensacola trip . Grandson had a crawfish boil (300 pounds) for his squadron and us = fun!Anyway, for those of you who have finished this wonderful book, I am sure that you found the ending VERY satisfying.
What all did you like about it ??
This is one of the few novels where I liked that fact that "everything" was not tied up with a big bow. It makes the novel more realistic because in real life we may like the ending of something but there still needs to be questions or else life would be boring.
Betsy, there was one overarching aspect that I wanted at the end: Tom and Penny should stay together.I feared that the book would end and they would go their own ways, after we had invested so much in them both, and we urging them on - and it looked like they might split at one or two points in the book.
Dear Andrew, This ending, then, was meant just for you :)With that diamond ring waiting in Tom's leather jacket pocket and his thinking that tonight just might be the night to ask Penny to marry him, you must have been in "hog heaven" :) I wanted that to happen too so... we both got what we waited for !! I liked also how they were celebrating dear Pauline's 90th birthday = wow!
Betsy wrote: "Back from my Pensacola trip . Grandson had a crawfish boil (300 pounds) for his squadron and us = fun!Anyway, for those of you who have finished this wonderful book, I am sure that you found the ending VERY satisfying.
What all did you like about it ?? "
In another group where I regularly post, there is currently a thread running that asks members to name books where they have found the ending particularly satisfying. Surprisingly members are struggling to name titles that have accomplished this. Therein, it is extremely satisfying to see such a comment attached to VOID.
My assumption is that it is a matter of fulfilling an expected promise that was made in the body of the story.
Karen B. wrote: "This is one of the few novels where I liked that fact that "everything" was not tied up with a big bow. It makes the novel more realistic because in real life we may like the ending of something bu..."Thank you, Karen. I believe a few loose ends are necessary, in order to allow the reader's mind to travel in a direction best suited to their own life experience and expectations. In that way the reader has room to make the story unique to them. I'm pleased to note that you agree.
Andrew wrote: "Betsy, there was one overarching aspect that I wanted at the end: Tom and Penny should stay together.I feared that the book would end and they would go their own ways, after we had invested so muc..."
I was tempted by many alternative endings, Andrew. In the end, I let the characters guide me.
David, Your final resolution was SO well done! SPOILER ! Tom's 2 buddies on their bikes, steep hill to r.r. tracks and that looming tunnel entrance, the young girl flying by on her bike, tragedy, girl asking for a ride home, and finally Tom's childhood home , his mother and her words that unlocked Tom's memory.Everything perfectly came together and made perfect sense.
You are right. Some writers do not pull off good endings and that has always perplexed me. They write this bang-up book but have they not thought through what the readers expect at the end?
Fortunately, you gave us what we needed and looked forward to. Well done; it couldn't have been better ! Congratulations!
Betsy wrote: "David, Your final resolution was SO well done! SPOILER ! Tom's 2 buddies on their bikes, steep hill to r.r. tracks and that looming tunnel entrance, the young girl flying by on her bike, tragedy, g..."I agree Betsy. Loved the ending. It was so sad to learn that the mother had to go through the retelling of the tragedy every year. It brought me to tears too.
Yes, I thought the ending was pretty perfect too. Not all questions were answered, but can anyone ever recall every detail from the past? I don't think I would even want to!
I know I wouldn't want to know every detail of my past. And there are things I don't tells my husband or son about either. They don't have a need to know.
What lovely comments :~) I'm running out of ways to say thank you.I'm flattered that it brought you tears, Paula. One always aims to touch a reader's emotions, so it's gratifying to know.
I wonder if the group has any thoughts on this, not just with my book but with any. When a story effects you emotionally is it because of something that resonates with you personally, or is it that you are invested deeply in the characters/situation?
For me, it depends on the book, David. Sometimes it is a personal connection, having been in those shoes or knowing of someone who has been through similar circumstances. Sometimes, though, the characters are so well written and so real that I feel that I know them. I feel invested in what happens to them, yes. More often, I suspect, it is the latter, as I haven't led a very exciting or traumatic life!
Makes sense, Jean, that it would vary. I think for me, it would be stronger if it was something that was close to my own experience, but I would still to be invested in the characters.
Tom's mum makes her appearance close to the end the novel. I assumed, Paula, that her short episode was enough for you to make a connection strong enough to move you? But then I got to thinking, does her absence from the narrative still allow you to empathise knowing that there was a possibility of Tom finding her?I direct this to Paula because of her comment, but please consider it open to anyone.
David wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Betsy, there was one overarching aspect that I wanted at the end: Tom and Penny should stay together.I feared that the book would end and they would go their own ways, after we had ..."
Betsy wrote: "Dear Andrew, This ending, then, was meant just for you :)
With that diamond ring waiting in Tom's leather jacket pocket and his thinking that tonight just might be the night to ask Penny to marry ..."
We did get what were waiting for :) And you know, it felt like a private book, where I (or we) were permitted an insight into those lives, and so yes, I (we) got exactly what we wanted.
I bet there were a whole host of endings yo could have chosen, as was the case with Imperfect Strangers. So glad this was the one that fell out of the hat :)
Mod
Just finished and review is up! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Look forward to reading some of this thread now that I don't have to worry about spoilers.
David-hats off to you! I thoroughly enjoyed this, from page one to the last word!
I will be recommending VOID to my retired teachers' book group this Friday; I know that they will find it as interesting as I!Before I bow out, I would like to say that the MODS did a great job in picking this book for us and connecting us with a great author, David Staniforth. Thank you to David for ALL the writer input that you gave us enhancing our reading experience/pleasure. And, thanks to all the great members who posted perceptive comments and made our BOTM discussion so darn interesting! Until we meet again, Happy Reading!
David, sometimes it is both that something resonates with me personally and sometimes I have come to love the character like a friend. In Void one of my first emotional reactions was how hard it must be for Tom's mother to go through this year after year, reliving her daughter's death, seeing her son and connecting but then losing him again for a year. I think part of this was because I'm a mother. My daughter's husband has a job that has taken him overseas and when she spent nearly 2 years in Hong Kong it was killing me to not be able to see her or my granddaughter. Another example in general is because I love my pets I really relate to cozy mysteries with animals. And if I am reading a book where the animal dies ... or my goodness it often bothers me more than when a character dies.
A Good Thriller
Books mentioned in this topic
Imperfect Strangers (other topics)Void (other topics)
Imperfect Strangers (other topics)
Void (other topics)
The Self Illusion: How the Social Brain Creates Identity (other topics)
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A great book that delves into the theory of how memory works.