Where I End : Discussion Thread

[Trisha]

At night, my mother creaks. The house creaks along with her. Sometimes in the morning we find her in places. We never see her move. We just come upon her.

Aoileann is cursed. She has no friends, never gone to school. She has never left this windswept craggy isle off the coast of Ireland.

Her mother is cursed: a silent wreck Aoileann calls the “bed-thing.” Alongside her grandmother, Aoileann’s days are an endless monotony of feeding, changing, and caring for the bed-thing.

Their island seems cursed, whispering secrets only Aoileann hears. Then Rachel, a vivacious artist from the mainland, arrives with her colicky newborn. Rachel arouses yearnings Aoileann cannot fully comprehend. Soon, the unfolding of her mother’s secret tragedy and Aoileann’s pursuit of her own dark desires are both destined to unleash a maelstrom upon all three of their lives.

[Trisha]

5 chapters

this is shockingly appalling

(view spoiler)[ why do they keep calling her "the thing" and "it"? Isn't she her mother? She has bed sores and is carving letters into the floor USING HER BONE? I'm sorry, what? Why are they mistreating her like this?

and why does the town hate this 19 year old girl? She's been spit at her whole life and everyone says "she's not alive" or something like it. Why?

Did something happen to her mom in child birth? Or, as they hinted at, is this something genetic - a disorder that makes them lose the ability to use limbs? This is a sickness - not something to lock someone away with and call them "it".

what is going on here?

and I'm sorry - did the young girl - our narrator - say something about hurting kittens? I'm wondering if she's really just a horrible person and maybe giving someone with no voice into her care is a very very bad idea. Maybe this young girl is the problem (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

10 chapters

(view spoiler)[ so far I am just really confused about this book.
why does this girl view her mom as an "it"?
why does her dad only visit once per month, and only for 3 meals?
Why were they so afraid of her learning to swim? Did that happen to her mom - did her mom attempt suicide or something?

interesting that we finally have her name and that she's so fascinated by this Rachel - someone who doesn't spit at her feet or avoid her gaze.

but she does the same thing to her mother - she doesn't spit but she's not nice and doesn't view her as human. and I wonder, will her absences and her lack of care to her mom now that grandma is working - will this end up killing the mom with neglect?
this is a terrible thing to read (hide spoiler)]