Tuesday, January 10, 2017

The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty January 2017

January 2017 Book selection

The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet Thursday, January 12th at 7 p.m. to discuss our January book, The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida.

Discussion questions are below.

Here are some links for additional background and information:









Coming up, we have the following books to look forward to reading:


Thurs. Feb. 9             The Sellout by Paul Beatty

Thus. Mar. 9              The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
(One Book/One Marin selection)


Thanks for reading with us. I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.

Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library




DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida

1.      The unnamed protagonist is a twin. In what ways is the twin metaphor used throughout the book? Does the fact that she is a fraternal twin make any difference?

2.      What effect does the author using the second person have on your reading of the novel?

3.      How does the novel relate a search for self?

4.      It may be hard to understand why the protagonist does the things she does in the novel such as taking someone else’s backpack and using that person’s credit card. Did your feelings about those actions change after learning about the birth of her niece and husband’s infidelity?

5.      On page 95, the red-haired bodyguard explains his interest in Darwin and “punctuated equilibrium” saying, “There are periods in evolution when species are in stasis because there’s no need for change. But then, usually because of a change in their environment, they have to adapt rapidly. That’s how new species come about.”  How does this information affect the protagonist?

6.      What is the nature of identity? Is it what people call you? What makes you “you”? Is it based on place – where you lived and live or the community in which you live or something else? How does acting play into identity?

7.      What affect does the location of the novel, Casablanca, have on your impressions of the story? Would the story have worked in other locations?

8.      The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty is a novel about many things, including loss. What losses has the narrator endured?

9.      We recently read Outline by Rachel Cusk in which the main character remains nameless for most of the book and is recently divorced. Are there any other comparisons between the novels?

10.  Have you ever wanted to or tried to re-invent yourself?



You’re sitting here with us, but you’re also out walking
in a field at dawn. You are yourself
the animal we hunt when you come with us on the hunt.
You’re in your body like a plant is solid in the ground,
yet you’re the wind. You’re the diver’s clothes
lying empty on the beach. You’re the fish.

In the ocean are many bright strands
and many dark strands like veins that are seen
when a wing is lifted up.
Your hidden self is blood in those, those veins
that are lute strings that make ocean music,
not the sad edge of surf, but the sound of no shore.


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