"Still Here" by Linda Grant.
Chosen by Kath on a recommendation, the book initially felt like a poor choice, but once she had got into the book felt it was a good story.
The difficulty in engaging with the characters and plot was a consistent response from club members, and varying the viewpoint of various sections contributed to the difficulty.
The book is a complex exploration of Judaism and the holocaust with overtones of factory life, Liverpool, lust, and war. There is a lot of humour and overall a book worth reading.
The book elicited a variety of opinions from club members, some felt it was a good, enjoyable book, others disliked the characters, and the masculine style.
The complexity of the plot made kindle-reading less enjoyable than a more traditional format.
The messiness of life was well depicted with Alix standing out as a character, the others less enjoyable.
Two members read the book for the book club and were either bored or irritated.
More negative reactions related to the swearing and the sex, the latter characterised as both unsubtle and unnecessary.
Whilst “Still Here” suffered from not having a good editor, it did raise interesting points in relation Jewish culture.
Doorly score: 3.5
PC. August 2024
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