Hello all! So, we're ready to sit down and dish about the first quarter of Fat Cat
. Feel free to share your thoughts. And keep in mind, there are some spoilers below.
Shel: So, this book started out on a strong science-y note. My English major brain is fighting the urge to zone-out and start singing the Hernando's Hideaway song.
Monica: I am having *nightmarish* flashbacks to my Physics and Chem classes. Shel, this book is already a disaster! I didn’t realize I was signing on for a left-brain plot!
Shel: Stay strong, Monica! We can do this. The experiment is starting! Let the torture/funny begin. I can survive a science course if I get to laugh at a character or two.
Monica: I had been thinking originally that I’d do her diet at the same time as we were reading the book – you know, just to get into the mind of the character. Whoops! I didn’t read far enough ahead before making this plan. Now that I realize I’d be forced to scavenge for roadkill along the side of the expressway like some sort of vulture, I’ve pretty much given up all plans to mimic her experiment.
Shel: Yeah, sometimes it feels so good to be a vegetarian. I get automatic will-be-unable-to-participate status. Thank goodness. This book is making feel guilty to open that pop, pick up that bag of chips and grab that cupcake though.
Monica: Also just realized I would have to give up Diet Coke. Heck no. I’ve detoxed from that before, and it is just as insane as what the author’s depicting. I thought my head was literally going to detach from my neck. I *wanted* my head to detach from my neck – decapitation was preferable at that point!
Shel: Eek. Let's avoid that then, for your sake. Switching gears, I couldn't help but notice how luck Cat is to live in a town where she can walk everywhere....
Monica: True story. I would have been doomed if I’d tried this in school. I’d have had to add a clause to my project: “Allowed to ride in car to school, as subject would completely fail due to being hours and hours late to class every day, and also due to not wanting feet to fall off.”
Shel: I feel like Brande captures high school well. Giving a friend aspirin being a violation of the drug policy, no cell phones, block scheduling, a girl feeling small with just one glance (or non-glance) from that certain boy. That's the Hell I knew well.
Monica: And zombie teachers – don’t forget about zombie teachers!
Shel: How long do you think it'll take until we FINALLY know what happened with Matt in seventh grade? I'm getting tired of waiting. This is why I always read the ending of the books early on. But alas, the answer is not on the last two pages. Am I going to have to wait like a normal reader?!
Monica: If you’d like, I can skim ahead – I routinely read the last sentence (just to make sure the main character is still alive at the end of the book) but for you, I’m willing to do some more advanced scouting. (Seriously, though, I have the feeling she’s going to drag out the Matt Secret as long as possible. I hope it’s worth the wait, because if it turns out he just called her “Fatty Fatty Two-By-Four” or something, I don’t know if I can handle the emotional letdown.)
Okay, a good start. We'll continue our way through the book and continue our discussion of Fat Cat on Tuesday. Then, pages 82-166 will be up for grabs. Hope to hear your thoughts then!
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