Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine discussion
January 2020
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The Characters
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Jan 08, 2020 10:07AM
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I related to Emira more. Her heart and motives were pure where Alexi’s was not. Great book!!!
The further I got in the book, the less I related to either woman. It was akin to watching a TV show, gawking at the events that unfolded. Despite not relating to the women, the book still made me ponder how I would act in these circumstances.
It was interesting to relate to different aspects of each character but finding the common denominator of being lost and having to work to find/brand/make yourself I think is what being a woman in todays society has felt like to me.
I almost wondered if alix had some sort of postpartum depression where it was taken out on Briar. i know there was more to the story than that but it came to mind. I have a toddler and will soon have a new born and honestly have no idea how I'll be, especially with the toddler. Kelly really bothered me and I was glad Emira left him in the end.
I related more to alix because of the mother thing.
I have to say Alix reminded me a lot of girls from my sorority in college. So obsessed with their own personal brand they had no idea how they affected others or what they truly wanted in life. As a millennial that went to college in Philadelphia and started her career there, identifying with Emira was easy. With all the discussion of race in the book, it was actually nice that I, as a white middle-class girl, still identified and shared very similar life experiences to Emira.
For the reading experience: I LOVED that we got both character's point of view. It made the experiences more realistic and wholesome. I feel like other novels with comments on race often just give us one perspective. The author was bold to write from both points of view!
Emira reminds me of a time when I felt lost in my career. She didn’t hate what she did but she knew that there was more. He relationship with Brier was beautiful and enjoyed the multi faceted lifestyle she lead.Alice seemed very 1 dimensional and only cared about her self and her family. She wanted to help women have careers and achieve their goals but by not working for it and only writing letters and getting free stuff, oh brother!
Ultimately, I found that the two characters Emira, the young black babysitter, and Alix Chamberlain, the wealthy white employer, represented two very specific things. Now, stay with me on this... For me, I saw Emira as an embodiment of intersectional feminism and the numerous ways in which our identities stack up to make certain avenues in life more difficult to tread. Whereas Alix Chamberlain aligned with white feminism that has difficulty understanding, accounting for, or caring about anything other than her own intentions and how she’s affected despite *occasionally* trying. In fact, Alix spends a good chunk of the book actively ignoring or repressing her vocal and ever curious three-year-old daughter. To me, her daughter was a discourse that threatened to shape and alter Alix’s way of thinking that was very easily stifled and ignored in favour of pursuing self-interests.
I identified more with Emira. I too have felt lost with my career and the path that my life is taking me on. I found it difficult to connect with Alix as I am not a mother, but also she worried a significant amount about her brand and how others portrayed her, which was ironic considering her career.
I am a nanny and while both me and my employer are white the great divide is money and age. I am 52 going back to college and in poverty because my husband went to prison 3 years ago. My daughters are 32, 23, and 11. My boss is 29, married and has a 6 year old daughter and a 3 year old son. She genuinely is so self absorbed and clueless most of the time. She really does not even think or care if her stiff interferes with my family or my school. this book along with Maid are like the story of my life. i am just trying to survive right now while I get my education and make a better life for me and my youngest girl.
i am new person here and i will like to ready more books and i am from ghana and i will also like to make more friends here both females and males
