SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

A few questions to get us started:


1. What did you think of the world?
2. What did you think of the characters?
3. What worked or didn't for you?
4. Overall thoughts?

Finished last night. Loved it, for the most part. I’ll do my best to gather my thoughts:

1. What did you think of the world?
The world was pretty brutal. We’d have these descriptions of this wealthy family’s estates with horses and gardens and balconies juxtaposed with the dungeons/cells beneath these estates. Or Juan and Gaspar living in this huge mansion style house with all these empty rooms and barely any furniture- it made for an interesting dichotomy. Or these kids would be traveling around the world partying while lurking in the margins there would be references to this war/revolution happening.

I did like the supernatural aspects of the book. I love anything with liminal spaces, so opening up a door and having it go elsewhere is really eerie to me. Although brutal I thought the descriptions of the Ceremonials were unnerving as well.

2. What did you think of the characters?
It’s complicated. lol. I think as characters they were brilliantly written. I really enjoyed Juan’s perspective in part one although he could be cruel, but then it became difficult to read about him in part 3 (I think) when he was constantly at odds with Gaspar. I think it’s implied there’s a reason he is the way he is but I think there could have been a few more tender moments to humanize him.

Then young Gaspar for parts 1 and 3 I enjoyed and part 6 when he becomes more like his dad it was tough to read. I thought the supporting cast was great, Vicky, Pablo, Luis… their friendships and positivity/love was desperately needed in a book so dark.

3. What worked or didn't for you?
There were no chapters. This never works for me. I don’t understand why authors and publishers do this to readers. It’s not a stylistic choice to me at all, it’s just annoying. I don’t know hardly anyone who has time to read 150 pages in one go. So I just don’t get what the point is.

What worked for me was the horror aspect and the characters. Although difficult to read at times, I found them compelling. I liked the way the various aspects of the cult unraveled slowly, with information being trickled down to us. Juan hinting at something and then Gaspar or one of his friends witnessing something they didn’t understand, and then Rosario’s section revealing more.

4. Overall thoughts?
I really liked it. I thought it was thought provoking. I was mostly unaware of Juan Peron and the disappeared and the Dirty War prior to this. I read a few articles last night when I finished, so obviously I’m not an expert but it’s definitely harrowing. I think the metaphor was apt, although i don’t know if it was/will be too on the nose for some readers.

It’s something I could see myself re-reading some day to see what I may have missed or glazed over the first time.

This is certainly a "horror" story.
I finished it but it was a struggle. I think it was too long.
There was also a bit too much dismemberment and child abuse for my taste. It did have some good suspenseful build ups though.

This was such a horrific read. I'm still gathering all my thoughts, but I was really struck by this book, and especially by the kids; I really liked all the parts about Gaspar and his friends, and the lives they were trying to build around the weirdness of Gaspar's life and the care they were taking with each other. There were cruelties upon cruelties inflicted and depicted in this book, and one of those cruelties was Gaspar blaming himself for what happened to Adela!

4.5/5
I loved this book! I wanted to reread this book immediately, and I keep thinking about it, it’s definitely one of my top books of January.

Things I loved: the writing, the story of the order and the uniqueness of it, the setting in different locations in Argentina and London, and the strong characters, especially Juan and Gaspar. I especially liked the interweaving of political events in Argentina and people disappearing. I appreciated the questions the author left at the center of the book; what is done to Rosario to keep her from Juan is never described. I think it reflects the horrible uncertainty of never knowing what happened to disappeared people in political disappearances.

The best parts of the book to me were the first and third sections that are told from Juan and then Gaspar’s point of view. The book really slows down in the last 3 sections, and although I see the need for and enjoyed the section told from Rosario’s point of view, it really slowed down the narrative flow and I might have enjoyed it more if it was interlaced with the Gaspar section and not told separately.

One thing that puzzled me was why Juan went along with having a child with Rosario when he knew that the Order would try to use him and he would need protected. Did part of him want to use him as a tool to destroy the order? This motive seems to be a conflict with the idea of only wanting to protect Gaspar.

The last section was my least favorite; instead of returning to a gripping narrative, the time was drawn out into years of nothing really happening. Even the action at the very end felt less tense than most of the earlier action. I was sad about Gaspar’s permanent withdrawal from people that could love him.

Overall I really enjoyed this pick, and as it was a longer, heavier book, I appreciated the choice because I’ve had it for over a year and hadn’t picked it up because of its length, thanks for forcing me to!