September Book Club

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

Ok, here's our summary from September book club.

First, Jane made chocolate hummus! And some of us were very upset to find it absolutely bloody delicious! 😂😂 There was a bit of a bring and swap vibe going. And the food was 👌👏 Jane has some excellent choices and culinary skills!

On to the book and this was a glorious book club book in the sense that opinions were divided and the discussion was fabulous!

There were quite a few who DNF'd because it was scary AF! Most making it to the Smiths' poster and Morrissey making his way out of the poster and haunting Alice, before being like; oh no, not for me! 😂 Which fair, that was proper creepy!

Opinions were divided on writing style. Some didn't vibe, some enjoyed but thought that metaphors were over-explained and some literary devices overused. We generally enjoyed the metaphor for fascism in the haunted house and the exploration of how someone becomes radicalised, and on that note, we are considering implementing Fascist Friday, and for balance, Woke Wednesdays... just to see if it's for us. 😂 This was quite a funny but serious moment talking about how radicalisation into fascist principles isn't possible unless there is something there to pick at, usually shame and fear. Basically, you wouldn't turn up at a Neonazi meeting by accident and decide to hang around and see if it was for you. 🤷‍♀️

There was quite a lot of discussion about kink and porn, particularly "sissy porn" where someone (most often men) gets off on being degraded and shamed. I think generally those who read these parts found them uncomfortable.

One of our members felt that using the genre of horror, and in particular the more viscerally descriptive parts, was an effective way of showing people how the discomfort of existing in a body that doesn't conform to gender and other political and identity norms, can feel.  

It was generally agreed that The House was a metaphor for fascism and its insidious nature, particularly in the harm we as individuals can do to ourselves and others. There had been various attempts to destroy The House, but it was always attempted by one group, or person; if The House had been attacked by a collective, by everyone fighting it together, could its destruction have been achieved?

Overall, whilst the book had a mixed reception, it is clear that it is a thought provoking book which causes a physical and emotional reaction in the reader. And that it was well written with some excellent writing techniques used to add to the atmosphere and the story. However, we also agreed it was perhaps over-explained at times and the stream of consciousness/rambling sections maybe went on a little too long. Stars for those who read it varied from 3 to 4.75, so we settled at 4.

Sparks ⚡️: 4/5

Coming Up

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books, by Kirsten Miller

Suggested by a member who was already half way through the book and absolutely loving it, our next book has been chosen as Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books. At the time of writing, this is also available on audible as a 2-4-1 option.

Our next book club will meet on 15th October at 7.30pm, at the Spark Life studio on Infant Street. You can book in advance or just turn up on the night. And remember, all are welcome whether you've read the book or not! We can guarantee good chat and great snacks!