MidCoast Libraries Better Reading Bookclub discussion
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Relativity
Relativity - Book Club read #1
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Discussing Relativity
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What elements of the novel worked for you and what didn’t?
I really did like the science flavour. It was done quite accessibly. I also felt a great deal of sympathy for the Ethan and really enjoyed the relationship between Ethan and Alison. Hayes used humour well, in a gentle fashion, and I liked that.
And I did enjoy the plot twists and turns (no comments on details though – don’t want to spoil anything).
I struggled a bit with both the Claire and Mark characters. I guess I haven’t been caught up in the same situation so it’s hard to know how skilfully they were depicted. Perhaps I shouldn’t be too harsh a critic.
I certainly though it was an excellent first novel and worth the commitment of time to read it (which wasn’t that great anyway as it’s a novel that draws you along).
The terms “heart-wrenching” and “heartbreaking” have been used to describe Relativity. Do you think this is a fair description and why?
I’m not convinced I was heart-wrenched or heartbroken. I read books that do that to you – and they leave you feeling like you’ve been steamrollered. I didn’t get this from Relativity at all. What is does do is explore some very sensitive issues relating to family relationships and trust. I’m not actually sure that Hayes fully nails these but it’s a damn tricky goal to set yourself and I think she does make a sterling effort.
Hayes writes that “secrets were like scars: they faded and softened, but as much as you tried to camouflage them, they didn’t completely disappear” (pg. 85) Do you think Hayes is right about this? And what about the consequences of keeping these secrets?
I like it as quote. Maybe it does apply to all secrets, though I reckon that some secrets aren’t the kind that lead to significant scarring in the first place, and perhaps there are secrets, even between friends and family that really should stay secret for all concerned.
I’m reminded of a species in the hitch-hiker’s guide to the galaxy that, for their punishment in being just way to smart (as judged by other species), had all their thoughts projected to everybody around them. In the end all they could do was gabble on about trivial matters. So perhaps we need some privacy and some secrets.
Still like the quote though and still think it shows a fair old understanding of human relationships.
An appreciation of science is woven throughout the novel (even the chapter names have a physics flavour). Did this affect your appreciation of the novel (positive or negative)?
I really liked it. I must confess to having a science background but I think it works well (and maybe even better for all I know) for all readers. I think it gave it a rhythm and a unique flavour.
Hayes also writes “Clean slates had invisible consequences” (pg. 198). Do you agree? Mark moves to the other side of the country in order to restart his life with a clean slate. Is his effort successful?
I think this is a powerful observation on human behaviour. Who doesn’t want to leave behind their errors, their mistakes, their shames? So the whole idea of starting with a clean slate is appealing to the person whose slate is far from clean.
The problem is that maybe people don’t wanted to cleaned off the slate. Maybe the others that have been injured need another solution. I think Mark’s desire to start with a clean slate is more about the flight mechanism kicking in. Ultimately, the best solution is often the hardest and for Mark the best thing he can is be present until the right solution can be found.
The novel is centred around family relationships and what causes them to fail. Did Antonia Hayes’s handling of this this complex issue succeed? And did she capture the nature of Ethan as a gifted child?
I think she really got Ethan right (from a layperson’s perspective – I can’t say I’ve had first-hand experience in this area). Or, at least, she made him a fascinating and appealing character.
I’m not sure Hayes got all the other elements right in the family relationships. I found both Claire and Mark fairly frustrating at times. Maybe, though, this is not atypical when there’s a family breakdown, particularly of such a challenging nature.
What sort of rating would you give to the novel? (you can give a score or a general assessment). Would you recommend Relativity to others? Do you think it works as a bookclub novel?
As far as a score goes – 3.75 maybe.
I’d be happy to recommend Relativity to others. I think it’s got enough good points and its sufficiently different to make it worth the time and effort.
Yes, I do think it would work as a bookclub novel. It’s got those complex family issues that are usually great for discussion and it's accessibly, quick to read and not too long. Ticks plenty of the boxes.
I finished reading 'Relativity' about a week ago and am about to send a copy as a birthday present to a cousin in Ireland, so I guess my overall view of it must be considered positive. As someone who grew up in Sydney I enjoyed the evocative references to that city, but like Chris I have no experience of the kind of personal situations the novel portrays. I did like the portrayal of the two children, Ethan and Alison. The account of the fraying of the marriage of Claire and Mark seemed plausible, and having gone through writing a PhD thesis I have a little more sympathy for Mark's 'losing it' than perhaps I ought! But perhaps the two adults are to some extent stereotypical middle class young marrieds.I did not get past high school physics, and while I found the science references stimulating at first I grew tired of them before the end, and doubted they added much. I found Ethan's time machine rather implausible, even given his unusual personality.
The ending struck me as refreshingly unsentimental. Gains are made, but they don't 'live happily ever after'.
They writing is lucid and often beautiful. I am glad I was encouraged to read 'Relativity' and feel it deserves a wide audience. John Kennedy
Mod
I must say I did appreciate actually knowing the places described in the novel too. It just shows you how much people who live in cities like London and New York must get extra milage out of so many books set there.
One month to go and then it's a new title.
I like book clubs because i am encouraged to read books that I would not normally choose to read. I was intrigued by the science aspect of Relativity and was looking forward to an interesting read. Sadly I was disappointed, I couldn't really find any connection between the chapter headings and content and the science was just a listing of 'High School Physics' pop facts that were peripheral to the story (I agree with John). In fact the totally incorrect idea that genetic memory could give Ethan an innate knowledge of theoretical physics is ridiculous (page 161).I found Ethan and Alison to be the only characters I could relate to, Ethan seemed to be a charming child that I would enjoy meeting. None of the adults in the book were very interesting even though they were coping with a very traumatic time in their lives.
I think this novel could have benefitted from more editing, the writing style seemed immature to me with too much information trying to fit into each sentence.
I hope I haven't been too negative about this novel but I am sure that everyone who reads it will see different qualities in it.
One thing I really liked was Mark's tattoo E=MC/2 (Ethan= Mark & Claire)
Jenny
Mod
Thanks for that feedback. Bookclub discussions are always better if there's differing viewpoints. In my other bookclub members often review and alter their original rating based on healthy debate. I do agree that where I wanted depth I didn't get is as much as I wanted and did struggle with the adults (but truly enjoyed the children's storyline).
I still liked the presence of the science even if it was fairly superficial at times. That may have been because the suggestion was to keep it more in layperson's terms, but that's just a guess.
I do like the word ridiculous by the way and appreciate your use of it.
Thanks for reading it Jenny, thanks for providing a review and thanks for be honest about it.
Cheers Chris
Sorry for late addition - I had to find my notebook (buried under a myriad of fallen book piles)I must agree, although I love science, my understanding is still limited. The terminology did get a bit beyond me and kind of weighed down the flow of the narrative in parts for me.
The relationship between Claire and Mark was understandably tense and difficult which I think Hayes builds quite well, but Claire's indifference to Ethan's grandfathers wishes left me a bit baffled... An unconscious transfer of hurt? A sense of pay pack?
2) I agree also on not identifying the story with "heart wrenching" - frustrating more so for me. (Also I have three children aged 4 and under, so the basis of this story does strike a raw nerve for me) and as a sleep deprived parent I understood Marks desperation - but the aftermath of his reaction left me needed to put the book down and walk away for a bit (super sensitive mummy protection kicked in).
3) I think this links well with the clean slate comment.
Mark cannot start afresh, he talks of not being able to disclose his past etc with the people around him in his "new life" which creates a sense of no existence for him. No close friends/ relationships.
Also we see the effects of secrets kept from Ethan. He misses out on knowing marks family (ie. His cousins, uncle and grandfather) which is sad that (through no fault of his own) he isn't given the option to know these people.
The breakdown of relationships basically breaks down to lack of communication and fear. Claire's fear of hurting Ethan, and marks fear of facing his guilt.
I did pass this book on to my mother, she's into quantum physics and science more so than I. I will be interested to fishes her reaction to this story too.
* subconscious not unconscious
I was also thinking about how the doctors "speaker test" was a well placed metaphor for Ethan's deeply immersed life into science. Ethan lives his life so deeply embedded in science that he fails to use his other senses to live his life too.Ethan didn't "see" the bass sounds, but surely he would have heard them?
For me the bass is like the deep resonating male sound. That Ethan fails to perceive - perhaps like a male father figure in his life?
It's sad that Ethan not only was denied his father figure through Mark, but also his grandfather - and perhaps that is why Ethan fails to recognise the bass.
I think through the friendship Ethan makes with Alison, it is his first real relationship besides his mother. *spoiler alert* which ultimately saves him from himself and his science assured experiment.
Without her Ethan would have died, and this is the ultimate turning point I think for all the characters when Ethan's experiment goes wrong. It's a wake up call. A realisation that the safety net of science does not suffice to answer all Ethan's needs.
Science had become Ethan's baby blanket - a way to calm him and divert his attention from all the other things in life he was beginning to crave.
Claire used Ethan's love of science to placate him, keep him safe, but it was the ultimate disservice - a killing with kindness is you will - because it ostracised him from others (although giving him a middle ground with his father).
Mod
I really appreciate the depth of your responses to the novel. It always adds something to the reading when you get a fresh perspective and new perceptions. I especially got something out of your observation on Ethan not being able to see bass sounds and the connection there with the absence of a father figure. I think that might be spot on.
I also agree that Ethan did use science as a blanket. It was his strength and his inhibitor, as is so often the case with people.
Anyway, thanks for this review. Well worth the read and the it took me back to the novel again.
If you were to rate it out of 5 what would you give it?
I must chase up a new title when I get back from leave. Might get a chance in the next couple of weeks.
Cheers
Chris
Thanks Chris - sorry for the typo's too(I write in a hurry on my phone and predictive text/ and small keyboards are the bane of me)
Out of 5 - I give relativity a 3.5
After initially reading the book I wasn't really left in awe but re-reading and answering the book club questions let me delve deeper into the story and its meanings.
I just found parts of the book a bit of a slog to get through, but all in all quite good for its own merits in tackling some raw issues.
I can't wait for the next book title. Enjoy your leave time.
In conjunction with this why not consider posting a brief review of the novel. Try to avoid spoilers if possible. I know this means that those who start reading it a little later may feel like they've already encountered the novel a few times but I can't think of any easy way to avoid this (and getting people to hold off posting anything might mean it goes off the boil).
I will post my review a little later (only because I'm a little caught up this week).
Here are the discussion questions:
What elements of the novel worked for you and what didn’t?
The terms “heart-wrenching” and “heartbreaking” have been used to describe Relativity. Do you think this is a fair description and why?
Hayes writes that “secrets were like scars: they faded and softened, but as much as you tried to camouflage them, they didn’t completely disappear” (pg. 85) Do you think Hayes is right about this? And what about the consequences of keeping these secrets?
An appreciation of science is woven throughout the novel (even the chapter names have a physics flavour). Did this affect your appreciation of the novel (positive or negative)?
Hayes also writes “Clean slates had invisible consequences” (pg. 198). Do you agree? Mark moves to the other side of the country in order to restart his life with a clean slate. Is his effort successful?
The novel is centred around family relationships and what causes them to fail. Did Antonia Hayes’s handling of this this complex issue succeed? And did she capture the nature of Ethan as a gifted child?
What sort of rating would you give to the novel? (you can give a score or a general assessment). Would you recommend Relativity to others? Do you think it works as a bookclub novel?