Yes! So crazy. I read some reviews where people thought she was really Steph, the girl from one of the photos at the house. But I don't know about that.
And then the scene at the DQ made me think he did this with a bunch of girls? It's so bizarre.
I would love to talk about it more; I have to get running to work, and I'm not able to be on during the day, so I won't respond again until this evening.
Yeah the girls at dq had me confused. I do believe all the characters were him. I thought at first in the beginning when I was reading the book that it was very slow in the storytelling. It definitely picked up towards the end and I couldn't believe I finished it. I just sat there when I finished the book going what the hell did I just read. Haha
I could see this being a really good movie if they had the right director and all that.
the Caller doesn't really exist. The entire story is in Jake's head. He is every single character in the book, although probably his parents did, at one time, exist. Every interaction is imagined.
The Caller's phone number is the same as the female narrator, which is your first clue that Jake and the narrator are one and the same.
Also, she never has a name. This is because Jake never knew it. He met her at the bar, but never gave her his phone number. He fabricated everything that happened with her and took on her voice as the narrator.
(There are clues to this too, like when "she" sees the photo that looks like "her" as a child at Jake's house, or sees her item of clothing at the school.)
But all of that are the multiple personalities manifesting in Jake.
Post by gretchenwieners on Oct 26, 2016 11:55:32 GMT -5
I just finished it. Thank you for the rec. I really enjoyed it! I was a little confused by the DQ girls but I think that was explained in a pp. I listened to it on audible, which made the ending a little easier to understand.
ETA: I did have a question actually! What was going on with the basement? I thought the story was headed somewhere different with the description of the basement. Why go into detail if the author wasn't going to go anywhere with it? What was with all the descriptions of the pictures at the parent's house?
fiddles I'm right there with you. I picked the book up today and sat here for 2.5 hours and finished it. I enjoyed reading it but the end definitely had me thinking wtf?!
I just finished it. Thank you for the rec. I really enjoyed it! I was a little confused by the DQ girls but I think that was explained in a pp. I listened to it on audible, which made the ending a little easier to understand.
ETA: I did have a question actually! What was going on with the basement? I thought the story was headed somewhere different with the description of the basement. Why go into detail if the author wasn't going to go anywhere with it? What was with all the descriptions of the pictures at the parent's house?
This book BLEW my mind! Thank you OP for the rec! I kinda went down a rabbit hole of online reviews and discussion after I read it - and the theory that resonated with me most strongly was that Jake, nearing middle age and so lonely and socially crippled as to be contemplating suicide, conducted a "thought experiment" as follows: He recollected a time many years prior when he had an encounter with a woman in a bar that could quite possibly have led to a relationship - if only he had been brave enough to give her his number. Using that as a starting point, he carefully constructed the life he "could have had" with this unnamed woman and followed it through to its natural conclusion, which would have been a breakup. This convinced him that his social anxiety was insurmountable, and rather than life the rest of his life in lonely misery he ended it.
Just finished it as well. I was leaning towards his parents' house being real. It was old and rundown, perhaps because his parents didn't live there anymore? Although I don't get the painting from his mom if she didn't exist. Needless to say, definitely made me think. Thanks for the suggestion!
Post by nicbreeful on Oct 30, 2016 12:18:52 GMT -5
I started and finished it yesterday. It was definitely compelling but I'm not sure how much i liked it. Once the narrator introduced the caller I kinda figured it out but then dismissed it because it I thought that was the obvious direction. So when that turned out to be true, I felt kinda let down.
I really enjoyed it once the narrator got to the parents house. That whole part was really creeping and unsettling. I loved that.
Did anyone else go into it thinking that the narrator was thinking suicide by "I'm thinking of ending things" and then realized she meant the relationship (and later on suicide)?
I just ordered, thanks for the rec OP! Has anyone read Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt? It's sitting in my Amazon cart but a few of the reviews indicate it's pretty graphic/not for the squeamish. The older I get the more of a wimp I'm becoming for gore, even in book form, so I'm not sure I want to go ahead with that one.
Just put a hold on it at the library. Gonna pick it up in a few minutes. I've been trying to find new books that I wouldn't grab so thanks for the rec!
Also, if you like suspense or thrillers or books that stay with you, pick up The Dinner by Koch. He's a Dutch writer. I think they're making it into a movie.
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I just read The Dinner and loved it! It started a little slow but by the end I was literally sitting in my driveway so I could listen to more (on Audible). Thank you for the rec!
Just put a hold on it at the library. Gonna pick it up in a few minutes. I've been trying to find new books that I wouldn't grab so thanks for the rec!
Also, if you like suspense or thrillers or books that stay with you, pick up The Dinner by Koch. He's a Dutch writer. I think they're making it into a movie.
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I just read The Dinner and loved it! It started a little slow but by the end I was literally sitting in my driveway so I could listen to more (on Audible). Thank you for the rec!