Posts in category: Fiction

I discovered this book after a friend recommended it. Thank you, Lori! That is the best way to find great books, isn’t it?

I bought it and had it for a while before reading it, then couldn’t put it down. Just before I read it, I found Unlikeable Female Characters by Anna Bogutskaya. It was a perfect follow-up that helped me put the women in The Change into real context. From “Unlikeable,” “It’s not about relatability; it’s about permission to fail and be flawed.”

These women are flawed, and I don’t know if I liked them very much, but Anna Bogutskaya helped me see that I don’t have to like them to cheer them and know that everything they did wrong was right. I don’t have to want to be friends with them to really appreciate their story.

According to the back cover, Nessa is the Seeker, who has inherited the ability to see ghosts and must help them. Harriet is the Punisher, who has stopped caring about what anyone thinks, and Jo is the Protector, mad as hell and isn’t taking it anymore. All are a bit over the top, and I don’t want to be friends with any of them, but I cheered them on throughout the book.

Briefly, Nessa, having entered menopause, was seeing ghosts, ghosts of dead girls.  She and her partners had to find the bodies and revenge their murders in order for these girls to be free.  No small task and one that required radical action, even unlikeable action.

It is fast-paced, even when seemingly breaking up the story to give back story.  Occasionally, it was unsettling, but it always worked out.  The technique gave a breather to an otherwise intense narrative but was never gratuitous.  There was a method for it all.

I wonder how much of her story she got from the Jeffery Epstein story. I won’t say more as it might be a spoiler, and any connections may be in my head.  You decide for yourselves.

The characters are well fleshed out, even the relatively insignificant ones whose purpose is to advance the story.  And the story pulls no punches.  Fiction is a great place for moral ambiguity, especially when it seems so right.

I must add that there are good men in this very feminist revenge book. Guys even get better as the women become more powerful. There are some really likable men!

 

Study QuestionsÂ

These questions are generally for book clubs; however, they can be used for contemplation or talking to a friend.  Spoiler Alert: ÂThese questions are designed for people who have read the entire book.  If surprises matter, do not read these now.   If you have a question you would like to discuss, put it in the comments.  Thanks

1.  Jo’s anger leads to violence, and Harriett’s anger is displayed much differently.  Discuss the difference. Is one more moral than the other?  Which would you be more likely to follow?
2. The three protagonists are all menopausal.  Nessa’s twins are in full childbearing age and Jo’s daughter is still prepubescent.  Nessa got her power before her period and was told it would go away until menopause.  Why do you think that might have been necessary?  If you do.
3. There are three daughters in the story.  Mothers and daughters represent 3 stages of female fertility.  how do they fit in?
4. What was the change in Jo’s husband about?  Did it seem real to you?  Why did it happen when it did?
5. If this book were made into a movie (and lets hope it is) Would Nessa, Jo and Harriett be ‘unlikeable women” and if so, what kind?