21st Century Literature discussion

18 views
1/22 Last Policeman > The Last Policeman - Up through part 2

Comments Showing 1-8 of 8 (8 new)    post a comment »
dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Bretnie (new)

Bretnie | 838 comments Part 2 ends on page 195. I'd love to use this thread to discuss the book as it unfolds, without discussing the whole book and its spoilers.

What were your initial impressions starting the book? Or your initial impressions of the plot and its characters?

An asteroid is coming, and life has changed. What would society look like if you knew it would end in 6 months? And does this work for you as a premise for a mystery novel?


message 2: by Bretnie (new)

Bretnie | 838 comments One of the things I liked from the beginning was Palace's character - so straight laced, serious, with a feeling like a classic detective novel, but Winters seems to make fun of that. He points out several times that is sounds like a detective movie.

World is ending and people are doing their bucket lists and doing drugs and Hank is walking around working hard saying "Holy Moly."


message 3: by Mark (new)

Mark E | 5 comments One of the most interesting things for me is the way characters’ decisions and motives are defined by the context of the novel. For example, how what could be considered a minor crime now carries effectively a life sentence. The psychological and emotional effects of the approaching apocalypse are very convincingly portrayed.
Just starting part 3


message 4: by Bretnie (new)

Bretnie | 838 comments Glad you're joining us Mark! Yeah, I thought that was interesting too. How do you not let society fall apart when it feels like it doesn't matter anymore?


message 5: by CatBee (last edited Jan 29, 2022 05:16AM) (new)

CatBee (ecospirit) | 23 comments I LOVE this book! I like good murder mysteries, but only selected Dystopian novels, like Station 11 and The Glass Hotel. The varied human responses to the apocalyptic setting are imaginative but credible. To respond to Bretnie's question, it seems to me that he wants to continue to do what he loves doing, what is meaningful for him, as a few other characters exhibit as well. And that makes sense to me.


message 6: by Bretnie (new)

Bretnie | 838 comments Dr. Cat wrote: "I LOVE this book! I like good murder mysteries, but only selected Dystopian novels, like Station 11 and The Glass Hotel. The varied human responses to the apocalyptic setting are imaginative but cr..."

Glad you're joining us Dr Cat and that you're enjoying the book!

I love that the answer to "shouldn't we make the most of our time here every day" is a different answer for everyone.


message 7: by CatBee (new)

CatBee (ecospirit) | 23 comments I guess what I meant was doing something meaningful, which is of course different for everyone.
Bretnie wrote: "Dr. Cat wrote: "I LOVE this book! I like good murder mysteries, but only selected Dystopian novels, like Station 11 and The Glass Hotel. The varied human responses to the apocalyptic setting are im..."


message 8: by Bretnie (new)

Bretnie | 838 comments Dr cat, yes that’s what I meant too, sorry I worded my response so poorly! The characters in the book seem to be figuring out what’s meaningful to them in these end of days and what’s meaningful for Hank is working hard and doing meaningful work.


back to top