Literary Feast Discussion: White Cat (pages 74-144)

Hello again, cool (white) cats!

So, Monica and I are both enjoying White Cat and we hope you'll be able to say the same (in the comments section.  *points*  Do you see it?  Click there and let us know your thoughts on the book).

But to get ideas about what you might want to say, read the conversation Monica and I had below.

Be aware, there are spoilers for the first nine chapters.  So, reader beware!

Monica:  Eeuw.  EEEEUW.  I don't care what else happens in this book -- I am NEVER going to get the image of him shoving rocks into his thigh out of my mind.  Sick and wrong, dude, sick and wrong.

Shel:  I am with you.  I was cringing.  Although I was already feeling a little cringy at the ear piercing scene.  Does that make me a wimp?  

Monica: My mother is fond of telling the story of how she got her ears pierced by a friend – they numbed it with ice, stuck a potato behind her ear, and then jammed a sewing needle into it.  The point of this story is that apparently many people are much more brave than us, but at least we are sensible.  ;)

Shel:  Eeeeeh-huh-huh.  I would never willingly allow someone to use a potato to pierce my ears.  I'm not opposed to being pierced by any means (I have four myself), but I'm all about letting a professional do it.  And then not having a girl show me my blood on her tongue.  Lila, I took issue with that.

Monica:  Sam and Cassel bring up a good point -- how *do* people know when they're workers?  Like, death workers?  Do they not know it until they're pissed off at their math teacher for giving them a bad grade, and the next thing you know the teacher has collapsed and their arm is slowly turning to ash in front of their eyes?

Shel:  I imagine it's kinda like how the X-Men discover their powers.  Something vaguely traumatic happens a few times and you connect the dots.  And since I mention that, I'm getting a X-Men vibe with all this talk of testing and registering with the government.

Monica: Yes!  And laws being passed to restrict their ability to move within society!  And, of course, the way the government is all anti-worker, but all the kids really desperately wish that they had powers.  ;)  In further news, I've decided that part of the reason I love this book so much is that Cassel sounds *really* authentic.  I mean, not everything he's doing seems authentic, as it were, but his internal monologue and the way he interacts with those around him seems genuine.  (And no lie, "If I was, I would make you beg to blow me" is one of the greatest things I've read this week.)

Monica:  I've decided that part of the reason I love this book so much is that Cassel sounds *really* authentic.  I mean, not everything he's doing seems authentic, as it were, but his internal monologue and the way he interacts with those around him seems genuine.  (And no lie, "If I was, I would make you beg to blow me" is one of the greatest things I've read this week.)

Shel:  That makes sense to me.  I feel like I'm with him in his experiences.  He amuses me.  And I feel sympathetic for how sucky his family is seeming to be.

Monica:  Shel, have you decided yet whether or not you like Lila?  I am torn.  She seems sweet, but she seems evil, and she's got that whole "I do what I want and string poor little boys like Cassel around" thing going, but at the same time, she's also a cat.  (Spoiler!  SPOILER!) Which makes it hard to say anything *too* nasty about her.

Shel:  I'm pretty 'meh' about her.  I mean, I sure hope Cassel didn't really, REALLY kill her, but that's mainly because I'd like him to be free of the guilt.  In Cassel's memories of her, there's nothing that really grabs me or entertains me about her.  She just comes off as being mean and more than a little screwed-up.  Plus, I'm not really picking up on "I'll turn this crime family around so we can save the puppies of the universe instead of commit crimes" vibes.  So, I'm not caring too much about what happens to her.

Monica: No, she much more seems like a “I’ll take charge of this crime family and destroy all who oppose me” kind of person.  Blech.

Shel:  Although, I did feel awful that Barron wasn't changing her cat litter/newspaper though.  Not cool!  Barron, I will come and get you!

Monica: Yeees, although to be fair, she probably would have taken out an eye….

Shel:  I hadn't thought about that.  She is a wee-vicious kitty.  So, I'm totally getting addicted.  No more of this stopping business.  Sound good?

Monica: Ha!  Two more sections at least, please.  I need time to sleep!!!

What did you think, cool cats?  We want to hear your thoughts.  Or you might be like me.  I'm off to keep reading. 

We'll be typing about chapters ten through fourteen on Wednesday.