I devoured this book in one sitting and enjoyed every single second of it! It was just perfect.
I wanted to carry it around all day, hugging it, and shoving it in everyone’s face, telling them they HAD to read it. It’s funny, sweet, emotional, but not toooooo emotional.
There wasn’t a house in this one that really felt like a character but man oh man did the characters themselves deliver on personality, quirk, and excitement. I gathered the little details that stood out to me in a collage below. It makes me laugh just looking at it haha
Which detail was your favorite? Which character did you love most? Let’s get into it below. I cant wait to hear what you think!
LOL, my favorite book club collagee ver made.
THE VOLVO! He stole it. The absolute perfect car to transport them on this epic road trip. Honestly, I’m surprised there wasn’t a single breakdown.
The (stolen) crystal pineapple purse… so funny and pure tenderness!
The electric chair. A total LOL moment when Sophie finally gives PJ that long awaited shock.
Blue baseball hat. The one that hangs on her doorway and talks to PJ. Then he wears it the whole road trip… like his daughter came along too.
Rubber bands. Hahaha, when PJ asks for “rubbers” at the gas station and Luna steals him actual rubber bands.
Lottery ticket. Enough said.
THE CAT. my favorite character.. I never guessed the ending!
Wax Abe Lincoln. Another hilarious Luna moment. Love how his arm (hidden under the seat) comes along for the whole road trip. haha
The lollipop tree. This picture is exactly what I imagined in my head. I would love a real-life photo of what PJ actually did. So much tenderness!
The Waffle House. Where sophie almost got murdered. The whole scene: running alone through dark streets in an unfamiliar town, then the creeps at Waffle House… and the serial killer driving her home?! Terrifying.
Beignets. The ultimate tender moment between Ollie and Luna.
what did I miss?
discussion questions:
01. tenderness: gentleness and kindness… sensitivity to pain. Did you feel like this was a central theme in the book? It felt huge to me. I could see how it was was both healing AND destructive for characters. How did you see characters embody or struggle with this idea?
02. Of course, Pancakes (the cat who can predict death) was one of my favorite characters in the book. Did you guess who the cat was predicting the death of by stalking PJ?
03. Ollie and Luna were adorable and quirky, who was your favorite? they both equally melted my heart. I wanted to adopt them by the end.
04. Did you pick up on how the road trip across the country was an intentional backdrop for personal transformation? I loved watching these characters transform in such real life ways. Which character’s transformation did you connect with?
05. Would you have joined this road trip if asked? hahah
the dark humor was just the best, there were so many parts I lauged out loud AND the writing was deeply insightful and there were times I just paused and sighed.
“The cat was amused at these two idiot humans, talking about how unfair death is, when it’s one of the few things everyone gets. Death is a magnificent invention, the cat knew, because it’s the impermanence of life that makes it beautiful.”
“My dad always said a person needs three things to be happy: something to do; someone to love; and something to look forward to.”
“They’re not, Dad. Kids aren’t resilient. That’s something adults like to say to make themselves feel better. To pretend that kids don’t feel as deeply as adults do. But kids are everything that happens to them. They’re sponges. Everything bad, everything good. Every hurtful thing you say. Every loving one.”
need another good book? We think you’d love Tartufo!
Branding and Initial Web Design
Nature
Web Design Production
Jane Reaction
Site Development
Alchemy + Aim