Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! I am really excited to chat about the conclusion of The Life Before Her Eyes, especially now that the movie is out in theaters. And check it out: the Buzz Book Club is mentioned on the movie's website! We're famous!
If you're new to the Book Club, here's what we've been up to: Every week I've suggested chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, has been every Friday in April). In these weekly Book Club posts, I posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.
If you're just discovering this specific book today I highly recommend you stop right here, find a copy for yourself and dig in before you read my final thoughts and/or see the movie. The language is remarkable and the book's haunting effect will keep your mind churning long after you put it down. You can go back and see what we talked about section by section here.
For everyone who's finished the book, ready to discuss? After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I finished, so read more.
- How about that ending, huh? What did you make of it? Were you surprised? Confused? Frustrated? Was it too ambiguous? Were you satisfied with the ending? Or were you left wanting more?
- Do you think that that final parade was her life before her eyes as well, as she experienced it in the girls' restroom, or was she in some kind of a coma?
- If you weren't surprised by the ending, when was the first time that you started to believe Diana was dead, comatose, or somehow not living a normal life?
- In Diana's imagined future life, in which pretty much everything is perfect and wonderful, why do you think she imagines that her handsome husband would cheat on her? Is that her guilt coming out? Or does young Diana already know, at her age that nothing is ever really perfect?
- In regard to the movie version of the book, do you think Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood and Eva Amurri make sense in these characters' roles? Or did you imagine entirely different people?
Mavi Jeans
Goldmajor
Princesse Tam-Tam
Several years ago, I read a New York Times review of the book which, to my dismay,contained a lot of spoilers; coming into the book, I knew the ending, but wanted to see for myself how Kasischke handled the material. I enjoyed her poetic prose and her control of the material which kept the ending from feeling gimmicky when it so easily could have been.
At the moment the bullet enters the left temporal lobe of her brain, the place that allows her to imagine the future, Diana likely is riddled with guilt about having decided to "choose life." As she imagines her "perfect life" she confronts the reality that this adult life is likely to be flawed; that her "perfect" husband will cheat on her seems to be expected as part of her teenage vision of the future.
Diane's constructed adult life seems to lack the dimension of her present life. As a teenager, she seems distinctive; as an adult, she seems two dimensional and sometimes very strange and straight laced. Perhaps in envisioning the future, Diana tries to shed some of her past behavior for which she has some remorse and in doing so she becomes a less interesting person.
I actually like the casting of Evan Rachel Wood as the young Diana. I'm anxious to see the film since I can imagine that this could be one of those rare instances where the film is actually as good as or even better than the book.
Great Book Club choice, Buzz. How cool it is for you to be mentioned on the movie's website. Congrats!!!
11. I loved the ending. Throughout the book I had a feeling that something shocking would happen. At first, I was a little confused but I read some of the book reviews on Amazon, I read the reader's club guide and then I re-read the ending and it made more sense. If you think about all the strange things that have been happening throughout, the ending makes sense. No wonder her life was so "perfect".
22. I don't really know the answer to this. I see it both ways. She could have been flashing to what her life would be like or she could have been in a coma. I personally like to believe that she is having a flash of what her life could be....and I just realized what the title of the book meant (duh!)
3. I was surprised by the ending, but there were parts that had me confused. I thought that the flashbacks to high school were not actually flashbacks. I thought they were her daughter Emma growing up. I think the time line confused me, but I remember during the flashbacks how the blond girl said that her mail man's name was Russell and that she knew because she asked him. I remember Diana saying that Emma had asked him his name. At this point in the book, I began to think that this was Emma growing up and not Diana's flashback at all.
4. This is a really good question. I didn't really think about this when I was reading the book. Maybe she does realize everything is not perfect, as I recall her husband left his wife for her (correct me if I am wrong). Maybe that is something she felt guilty about.
5. I can actually see these people as the characters. Diana seems more relaxed when she is older and I think Uma Thurman kind of has that cool relaxation about her. I really like the pairing of the teenagers and I am so excited to see how they work together! Now, if only the movie would come to my city!
Also, I just wanted to thank you BuzzSugar for having this book club. It makes the week fly by and I am always interested in reading new books
3This book was really haunting. I just finished it yesterday, but I couldn't put it down once I started (my copy didn't arrive til last week).
I was expecting a surprise ending from the start, so I wasn't entirely surprised by the ending, but I was literally on the edge of my seat finishing it because I had no idea how things would come together. One thing that I noticed early on was the all the modern pop culture references from when the girls were younger. This furthered my suspicion that Diana was dead, unconscious, or in some mental unit for post tramautic issues. I guess I am a bit confused by the ending, not sure if she was in a hospital and then as she was actually dying the parade started or what... Reminded me of the stories you hear about people walking towards the light when they are just about to die.
I wasn't sure what to make of her knowing her husband would cheat on her. I wasn't sure if this was absolutely necessary. The author kept focusing on her perfect life, but I didn't see the part about Paul cheating on her. I think it would have been effective to foreshadow this a bit more or make it a slightly more complex aspect of the story. If she died anyways, I don't quite get why her guilt would need to manifest itself in this vision of her life.
The book definitely left me wanting more and really engaged my imagination. I can absolutely see Uma Thurman playing Diana. I am interested in seeing the movie.
4Can someone please explain to me what the ending meant! i am so confused and i cannot find help anywhere...im searching. any infor would be greatly appreciated!
5does anyone know if this movie is being released everywhere?
6Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.