Got into it with my book club over 'The Midnight Library'

I brought up how the main character's choices felt too easy, like she just picked a new life and everything fixed. Three people jumped on me saying I missed the point about mental health and regret. But the book literally has her hopping between lives with no real consequence until the end. Has anyone else dealt with a group that gets defensive about a popular book like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_felix2h ago

Man, I once argued that a bestseller's plot felt like a choose-your-own-adventure book for grownups and got roasted so bad I almost quit the group... guess my critical thinking skills are on par with someone who still uses a flip phone! I think you're right though, popular books get this weird protective shield where you can't even breathe on the plot without people acting like you insulted their grandma.

anna7173h ago

oh man, I could have written this post myself. my book club had the exact same meltdown over 'Where the Crawdads Sing' and honestly, I get it. like, the main character in that one basically lives alone in a swamp as a kid and turns out totally fine with no real trauma showing? people got so mad when I said it felt like a fantasy version of surviving neglect. in my experience, when a book gets super popular, people take any criticism of it personally, like you're attacking their taste instead of the plot. your point about the lives hopping around with no price tag is spot on, that's a real flaw in the storytelling, not you missing some deep message.