Discussion for Follow Me to Ground

[Betty]

This is the place to discuss January's book, Follow Me to Ground!

[Betty]

This book is wild, but I really loved it! I do have A LOT of questions though!

[Jessi]

Just finished the book so I'm still digesting. I'm not quite sure what to think yet, though it was an interesting experience!

[Beth]

I posted this on the blog but also want to share here since I don't do Facebook! I really got into this one so the review/interpretation is long!

Hi y'all! I LOVED Follow Me To Ground and my only complaint would be that it wasn't longer!

Look out below! ~ MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD ~ and a lengthy personal interpretation of the first book club pick!

Wow, that was a wild ride! I had a hard time getting into it because I had to keep pausing as my brain scrambled to figure out WTH was going on. It took me a few sittings to get through, which is surprising given the length. But by the time I finished, I was entranced! I went straight back and reread it from the beginning, all in one sitting. I did pause in between to read all of the comments here, and really enjoyed everyone's thoughts as well as the insights from the author.

I had a hard time shifting my mindset to accept this alternate reality. I had to keep reminding myself that Ada and Father are not human; in fact, I think they are monsters that have taken human form. They both seem to derive some pleasure from killing animals, which is seemingly at odds with their healing "profession." Father at least manages his urges by hunting wild animals. As a child, Ada killed slugs, insects, birds, but her needs mature with her body.

There are some important points at the beginning that I had completely forgotten about by the end, so re-reading really helped me make sense of the story.

First, the cooking throughout strikes me as a nod to their witchy nature, and I think they are making broths that heal broken body parts. For example, Miss Lennox's lungs are stored in liquid in the pantry while she is in The Ground.

Second, Ada makes an early distinction between the Burial Patch and The Ground. The Burial Patch has been tamed by Father to heal and then release the Cures. But The Ground "gorged on bodies...shaped them to its own liking." Father buries Cures in the Burial Patch, but I believe Ada pushed Samson into The Ground, and I also think Samson's son is destined for The Ground when he goes into the garden at the end of the novel.

Regarding the legend of Sister Eel Lake- I am sure there are multiple levels of symbolism here and I am still teasing them apart. But the first pages of the novel describe a drain: from which slugs emerge; sparkling “with its secret wet supply;” into which they dump the sickness they remove from the Cures. Not gone, but it goes elsewhere. I think the drain is connected to Sister Eel Lake and the terrors are a physical manifestation of the ills of the town.

Which brings me to what I think is a major theme in the story- the oppressive heat and boredom the characters face seems to have driven everyone a little mad. “We didn’t have many ways to pass the time,” is Arson Belle’s excuse for his evil. Samson, too, almost seems to be making excuses when he tells Ada about his and Olivia’s childhood with their aunt, always cooped up and alone with nothing but half a deck of playing cards.

Here I have to mention how frustratingly naïve Ada is, and again remind myself not only is she inhuman, but she is just a child, in body and mind. She is oblivious to the obvious signs Samson and Olivia are sending about their relationship. She can’t understand why Olivia would think Samson would hurt a child without realizing he sees her as one, and has in fact hurt her. And when Samson’s son scoffs that she is just a girl, she assumes he just refers to her biological sex, not understanding he mistakes her young features for a descendant of Ada. I believe this naivete is part of the author’s exploration of maturing from girl to woman.

The second riff on this theme that stood out to me was the mystical way in which Ada could seemingly manifest something if she desired it enough. I remember feeling heady with power as I grew into womanhood; quite honestly realizing the power I had over men was just by virtue of being a woman. I used it to get free drinks at the bar; Ada used it to grow herself a “glove, pucker, pouch.” YOU KNOW THE PART. But she also used this power at the end of the story, as Samson takes over Lorraine’s body because she “dreamt him too strong and called up some strangeness.” She even manifests “heart,” developing some human emotions, with loneliness being her ultimate undoing.

[Maya]

I loved this book -- it was fun to read such a completely unique story.