January 2023 Group Read #2 - Sundial

[Jason]

slow burn for me still trying to get my head around it

[Michael]

Kim wrote: "I enjoyed this book very much. I love Catriona Ward's writing style and the way she can twist the reader's mind into a knot."
I agree. My mind is still reeling.

[James]

Michael - I agree and appreciate your review. Definitely got under my skin. I can also see where this is not everyone’s preferred type of story. I really appreciate the writing. I hesitated for a while to read this because I was afraid it would be twisty in a gimmicky way but I felt it wasn’t and was great!

[Kimberly]

Michael wrote: "SUNDIAL really gets intense in the final 100 pages or so. It was hard to put down after reaching that point.
I think this is brilliant, but deeply disturbing. When a book has that kind of effect on..."

I agree with you completely. (view spoiler)[Disturbing, yes--which is why it had such a lasting impression, in part. I've read three novels by this author so far, and the one thing they had in common--for me--was the brilliance with how everything is brought together in the end. (hide spoiler)]

[destiny ♡]

Kimberly wrote: "Michael wrote: "SUNDIAL really gets intense in the final 100 pages or so. It was hard to put down after reaching that point.
I think this is brilliant, but deeply disturbing. When a book has that k..."

Agreed! The endings of Ward's books always make me feel (view spoiler)[tempted to go back to the beginning and restart right away, just so I can find all of the bread crumbs. (hide spoiler)] (Not really a spoiler, but just in case)

[Michael]

Subject to interpretation of course . . . . (view spoiler)[but I thought the ending was a bit loose and left an opening for a sequel. I'd hate to think what else could happen in this family. (hide spoiler)]

[Kimberly]

destiny ♡ wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "Michael wrote: "SUNDIAL really gets intense in the final 100 pages or so. It was hard to put down after reaching that point.
I think this is brilliant, but deeply disturbing. When ..."

YES!!!!!

[destiny ♡]

Michael wrote: "Subject to interpretation of course . . . . [spoilers removed]"

Agreed!

[Amaya]

I finished this a few days ago, and honestly really liked it. I can understand people losing interest in the first half, but in my opinion the ending made it worth sticking through it. I especially liked (view spoiler)[how your entire impression of Callie and Annie has to flip at the very end. It made me think back to all of the times in Callie's narration that I had assumed she was lying or detached from reality, and have to recontextualize all of it. She ends up being a very sad character when you reread some of her chapters, and I thought that was interesting. (hide spoiler)]

[Leigh]

@Amaya thank you for that. I was almost ready to give up.

[LTJ]

Hey everyone! I'll be starting this one today and can't wait to discuss it with you along the way, I'm excited :-D

[Hilde]

Someone please convince me to finish this book. I’m 2/3rds in, I don’t like any of the characters and pretty much everything they do either gets me mad or just makes no sense. :/

[Michael]

Hilde wrote: "Someone please convince me to finish this book. I’m 2/3rds in, I don’t like any of the characters and pretty much everything they do either gets me mad or just makes no sense. :/"
Sounds like it just isn't for you. If so, why punish yourself? Don't feel obligated to finish if you hate it just because you signed on for a group read. I'd like to say that the ending is a real page-turner, so hang in there. It was engrossing for me. But I can't guarantee you'll have the same experience.

[Hilde]

So I ended up pushing past the event that made me go all ANGRY FACE (couldn’t resist the reference haha) and that’s when things started to make more sense. Finished the book just now, a real page turner ending indeed!

[Joshua]

Sundial was such a worthwhile experience! I never know how to best encapsulate such horror writing that I feel is worthy of great praise because it’s not exactly a “fun time to be had by all.” That said, this book is a prime example of what I look for in horror writing.
I was excited to see this was one of the group reads for this month because I really enjoyed Last House on Needless Street & I was not disappointed. I actually felt like I could enjoy Sundial's story a little more than LHoNS as that book had me feeling too consistently unsettled & "icky" (for lack of a better term) to fully appreciate the story as I was able to do with Sundial.
I don't think I have encountered a character quite as loathsome as Irving in quite some time. (view spoiler)[ Just when I think I've reached saturation level with how much I hate him, some new aspect of him is revealed that makes me hate him so much more. That's one thing I really like about Catriona Ward's writing. What seems like overenthusiastic pigeonholing of certain characters' attributes ends up being a carefully crafted weapon to be used against your expectations. Not that Irving ends up being in anyway redeemable but my hatred for him & wishing him a premature end definitely took focus away from certain things that I might've otherwise paid more attention to & end up being very important later on in the story. (hide spoiler)]

[Laura]

Oh I just finished this and what an absolutely wonderfully, disturbing, dysfunctional ride! Review to come! I can’t wait to read others comments!

I really loved it!

[Evie]

Sundial was soooo good! I love books that make me feel uneasy and unsettled inside my own skin. This was completely different than what I was expecting in all of the best ways possible and definitely left me thinking about how different people process and respond to trauma. I will say that the little bits of "supernatural" touches within the story didn't feel needed and I'm just choosing to explain them thyself in a more scientific way that better fits with the themes of the book. But even so, a solid 5 star read from me!

[Michael]

Hilde wrote: "So I ended up pushing past the event that made me go all ANGRY FACE (couldn’t resist the reference haha) and that’s when things started to make more sense. Finished the book just now, a real page t..."
Whew! Thanks for toughing it out. Glad it got better for you.

[LTJ]

@Tina: That was my first novel by her and I was hooked! So far, this is a solid read as well :-)

[LTJ]

@Tina: Anytime, my friend! LoL this just took one hell of a creepy turn and I'm absolutely loving it :-D

[Damini]

I'm 22% in and still a little confused about what's going on, but reading everyone's comments about how it gets better is helping me power through it lol

[Ginger]

After reading some reviews and comments from a few of you on here, I’m going to read this one after all!
I’m going to start this sometime today. I really liked The Last House on Needless Street so hoping for the same.

[Gareth]

Hilde wrote: "Someone please convince me to finish this book. I’m 2/3rds in, I don’t like any of the characters and pretty much everything they do either gets me mad or just makes no sense. :/"

Hilde, you are not alone, I did finish the book when I read it a few months back but had similar feelings about it.

[LTJ]

@Ginger: Yay! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this as well :-)

[LTJ]

Had a super busy weekend with work but am about to hit 20% and wow, I love the creepiness and buildup to who knows what awaits. I'm enjoying it so far...

[Ginger]

LTJ wrote: "@Ginger: Yay! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this as well :-)"

Feel the same LTJ!!

[Kimberly]

Ginger wrote: "After reading some reviews and comments from a few of you on here, I’m going to read this one after all!
I’m going to start this sometime today. I really liked [book:The Last House on Needless Stre..."

I hope you enjoy it! I felt the ending was worth it!! :D

[Damini]

Finished this yesterday, and the ending was definitely worth waiting out the rest of the story for. Although I felt "Last House..." did a better job with the twists and the creep factor. Still, this was quite an entertaining read, and I liked Ward's take on the desert, and dysfunction!

[Nancy]

I just finished!

[DaniPhantom]

Read this a few months ago, and it was so good!!

[Carrie (brightbeautifulthings)]

What are everyone's takes on (view spoiler)[Rob's eye color? It's hinted a couple times that she wears contacts, and the only way to tell Rob and Jack apart are by their eyes. I felt like I missed whatever Ward was trying to get at with that though. Does anyone have theories? (hide spoiler)]

[destiny ♡]

Carrie (brightbeautifulthings) wrote: "What are everyone's takes on [spoilers removed]"

I actually didn't even catch this and I feel like my head just exploded a little, lol!

[Michael]

Carrie (brightbeautifulthings) wrote: "What are everyone's takes on [spoilers removed]"
I thought it was just utilized as (view spoiler)[ a way for others to identify which of the twins they were interacting with, aside from their different personalities. I never attached any further significance to it than that. (hide spoiler)]

[Tim]

I’ve been sitting with this one for a couple of days after finishing it. I liked it. It did take me a little bit to get my bearings, but once things started moving I was hooked. I don’t mind slow burn horror if it delivers in the home stretch, and I think this does. I certainly understand where people are coming from that dnf though, as it gets very tough to read in some spots.

[Nancy]

Carrie (brightbeautifulthings) wrote: "What are everyone's takes on [spoilers removed]"

I thought it meant (view spoiler)[that this was Jack pretending to be Rob the last 12 years (wearing non-prescription colored lenses to change her eye color. Callie has green eyes like Rob but Annie has blue eyes like Jack. Early in the book she says that Annie had blue eyes and “she was mine. She and I fit together, part of each other in a way that Callie and I have never manage.” (hide spoiler)]

[Carrie (brightbeautifulthings)]

Ooh, interesting! (view spoiler)[So in that case, it was Rob who died instead of Jack, but both babies survived? I would definitely have to reread to see if I could pick up on that. (hide spoiler)]

[Netanella]

I'm in Michael's corner regarding eye color significance.

[Nancy]

Netanella wrote: "I'm in Michael's corner regarding eye color significance."

Why would Callie (view spoiler)[bring up that her mother’s contact lens solution for someone who doesn’t even wear glasses (twice)? Also, in her retelling, she casually out of nowhere mentions maybe getting contacts next time she goes into town. (hide spoiler)]

[Netanella]

Nancy, I'm lost on (view spoiler)[your comment, because I think the names are confused. (I do that all the time!) I thought Callie was the daughter, the eldest. Who do you mean by Cassie and Carrie? (hide spoiler)]

I suppose I meant that I'm in Michael's corner because I didn't place any significance on it.

[Nancy]

Netanella wrote: "Nancy, I'm lost on [spoilers removed]

I suppose I meant that I'm in Michael's corner because I didn't place any significance on it."

Autocorrect….🤦🏼‍♀️

I just lost my post….here goes again….

I don’t think the author would randomly bring up (view spoiler)[(contacts). One was with “Rob” retelling her story to Callie. She leaves the drug store with baby supplies and randomly says that next time she comes to town that maybe she will get contacts. Twice Callie says her mother secretly Carrie’s contact solution with her everywhere she goes yet she doesn’t wear contacts. I am guessing she thinks contacts are only corrective and she doesn’t wear glasses. I think they are colored lenses to make her eyes green because Callie has green eyes and Rob had green eyes.

Also, it makes sense that Callie would be Rob’s child since both are the good kids (even though throughout we are led to believe Callie is not good). Annie would be Jack’s child since both are bad (again we are led to believe Annie is good). (hide spoiler)]

[Rebecca]

Loved this book. Was on my wishlist, got it for Christmas and just finished it. So much to unpack...

[Michael]

Nancy wrote: "Netanella wrote: "Nancy, I'm lost on [spoilers removed]

I suppose I meant that I'm in Michael's corner because I didn't place any significance on it."

Autocorrect….🤦🏼‍♀️
Good points, and I see the rationale behind it. (view spoiler)[Guess I didn't pay enough attention to the contact lens references. Thought it was just casual conversation. Regarding who is who's mother - - I don't even want to go there without reading this all over again. My head is spinning. (hide spoiler)]

I just lost my post….her..."

[LTJ]

I just finished this late last night and was a bit disappointed. I loved "The Last House on Needless Street" and when I finished this one, I felt it was just too all over the place. The whole going back and forth between the past and present made it confusing as it dragged on for a huge chunk of the novel. Awe well, onto the next one!

Here's my review below I gave it a 3/5 as I enjoyed Callie and Ward's exceptional writing skills...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nancy]

Michael wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Netanella wrote: "Nancy, I'm lost on [spoilers removed]

I suppose I meant that I'm in Michael's corner because I didn't place any significance on it."

Autocorrect….🤦🏼‍♀️
Good points..."

There’s also a remark in the Arrowood stories (view spoiler)[when Callie is talking to Mrs Grainger she ask about her knowing her mother and Mrs Grainger calls her mm Rob. Also, Callie’s mom is dead in these stories. (hide spoiler)]. Just something else to make your head spin. I couldn’t sleep the night I finished reading this. Too busy thinking about everything going on in it.

[Rebecca]

How do I reply and include other people's comments and hide spoilers on here?

[Alan]

Rebecca wrote: "How do I reply and include other people's comments and hide spoilers on here?"

To include someone's previous comments you need to click the "reply" link in the bottom left corner of a post.
To hide something because of spoilers, put spoiler tags around what you want hidden. They look like this:
< spoiler> text text text < /spoiler>
just remove the space after the < as I typed above. (If I didn't add the space all you would see is (view spoiler)[ text text text (hide spoiler)])

[Nancy]

Rebecca wrote: "How do I reply and include other people's comments and hide spoilers on here?"

If you are using the app, there isn’t a way to reply to a specific comment. Only if you are using a browser.

[James]

Since I really liked sundial and needless street I just read Little eve too and thought it was great

[Jason]

Well, my Libby audiobook hold for Sundial just came in, this looks like a February read for me, lol.