HELLO LOVELY PEOPLE!
Welcome to week one for THE MARBURY LENS read-a-long discussion. Are we ready to discuss this sometimes serious, always crazy, extremely entertaining book? I know I am.
Please post your thoughts in the comments. You do not need to address all the questions. Tackle the ones that interest you most. Or bring up your own points to discuss. Please sign up for notifications or check back often, as this is a discussion post and well, we want discussion! Feel free to further analyze, agree or disagree with another participant, but always remain respectful, and most importantly…HAVE FUN.
Part One Discussion
- Jack’s relationship with his grandparents is shaky, at best. He feels abandoned by his mother and wonders if they will soon abandon him, too. What are your thoughts on this relationship?
- Should you have an irresponsible night like Jack (and many teens, honestly), what do you think you would do if a stranger offered you assistance?
- Conner, great friend that he is, wants to help Jack kill Freddie. Discuss your thoughts about revenge, avenging someone, retribution, eye for an eye, etc. Do you believe in capital punishment? Do you think rehabilitation is possible for someone like Freddie? Have you ever stopped to think why/how people commit such heinous acts?
- Jack recreated being tied to the bed. Creepy as hell, right? Definitely a sign that Jack’s mental status is er, jacked up. Reliving trauma, usually via nightmares, flashbacks or intense reactions to a scenario that reminds the person of the event, is common in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. But Jack actually ties his damn leg to the bed! Do you think he is experiencing PTSD symptoms, or is something else occurring?
- We’ve now met Henry Hewitt and heard his vaguely strange message to Jack. One minute, he’s there. The next minute, poof! He’s gone. What do you make of this character, and more importantly, his accusations of knowing Jack from Marbury?
Schedule
- 9/8: Part One: The Amethyst Hour, Chapters 1-17
- 9/15: Part Two: The Strange Boys, Chapters 18-30
- 9/22: Part Three: Blackpool, Chapters 21-42
- 9/29: Part Four: Chapters 43-48
- 10/6: Part Five: Seth, Chapters 49-59
© 2012, Smash Attack Reads. All rights reserved.
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Conner. I’m not crazy about him. I think he is more motivated by his own jollies than really helping Jack. Plus Conner’s concern for getting Jack laied is a bit overkill. I think he may secretly think Jack is gay and that freaks him out. Not saying that Jack is, but Conner is all about mainstream teen popularity.
Jack worries me a bit. What kind of weird vibe is he putting out there to bring out the creeps? It is very interesting that once he gets in that situation his mind is ON and he handles it. BUT what is it that gets him in the situation to begin with?
Tying his leg to the bed. I don’t know what to think. He was only held for a short time, not that it has to be longer to make someone a little cookoo.
I’m totally befuddled by Hewitt. Where is this going? Intrigued.
Conner is hard to swallow in some ways, but other ways, I love him for being so dedicated to Jack.
I think in the beginning of the book Conner may one off as a shady, selfish kid. However, he has plenty of time for redemption in the later chapters.
I don’t think Jack is putting or getting himself in bunk situations. It was a terrible thing that happened and really, nobody, I mean, NOBODY will deliberately do something to cause to have that happen. I’m absolutely sure that Jack was not standing on the corner begging for some psycho to kidnap him before he passed out.
First dear Ashley, when you said this was going to be a mind trip, you weren’t kidding and we haven’t even gotten into it yet! Yikes!
Jack obviously hasn’t had an easy life. His grandparents seem great to me, but I also know that the teen mind works in mysterious ways regardless. It’s also hard for kids to relate to adults a generation older, much less two generations. Aside from that, his view on his life situation is a bit skewed to say the least.
I know it’s probably a cop-out, but I’m still on the fence regarding capital punishment. I’m also not sure about rehabilitation in extreme cases. I believe that the death penalty has its place, but I also don’t believe that it should be an automatic response to every violent crime or murder. I definitely don’t agree with Connor’s response to the whole situation. Freddie needed to be punished but not at their hands.
Jack is definitely suffering from PTSD, but there is also something a lot deeper going on with him.
Henry is a mystery that needs to be solved. There are so many ways that this could be going I don’t even want to hazard a guess. I won’t read ahead of Part 2 because I want to keep the sections separate and fresh for the next set of questions, but I have a feeling it’s going to be even harder to stop after the next set of chapters.
I agree. I have no idea where this is going. I’m staying tuned for sure.
As far as Jack’s relationship with his grandparents goes, it’s probably just abandonment issues. I think a lot of teens and their guardians aren’t very close, but since he sees so little of his mother he expects everyone to leave.
I would venture to say that most teens do irresponsible things like party when they’re in high school, but Jack really crosses from irresponsible to incredibly stupid when he attempts to walk home. On top of that, I would NEVER allow a stranger to drive me home if I could barely recognize where I was. I feel like Freddy would have gotten him in the truck one way or another though.
While I think Conner’s want for revenge on behalf of his friend is natural, I also don’t like the idea of “an eye for an eye.” I do think people like Freddy need help. For all we know, something could have happened to Freddy that caused him to go crazy. What he did to Jack was seriously fucked up, but I would feel as guilty and paranoid as Jack if I were in the situation.
When Jack recreated being tied to the bed, I was like “WTF?” I don’t know enough to about PTSD or any other mental issues to say what I think is going on. I just know it’s insane… but I still want more.
Jack’s already talked a little about Marbury, so we know it exists (or, at least, it exists for him). I haven’t formed much of an opinion about it or Henry Hewitt yet. I’m just excited to learn more.
Thanks for hosting this! I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while.
I think Jack may be a little beyond PTSD. Crazy. He is obviously a little off even from observing his thinking before his abduction.
I agree, he was already raised in a situation that was not congruent to his actual needs. I realize a lot of people have issues with how he treated his grandparents. I had GREAT parents, but I was adopted. I struggled with the feeling of not being wanted for a long time. I had to have therapy. My parents made the mistake and trying to make up for this feeling by giving me freedoms and over loving me, if that makes sense. They loved me to pieces, my mother told me all the time I saved her life because they found me to adopt. How would you feel if you felt at the age of 8 that your mother may have killed herself if she had not found you? Thing is, it was not a logical thing for me to think, but I am adult now I see how my immature brain was not dealing with this right. We both (parents and i) realize this now, but the simple fact is. I can see the mistakes being made!
I didn’t grow up in a traditional family setting either. I never knew my father, my mother re-married but my step father didn’t adopt me so I was the only one in my family with my last name. My mom wasn’t in a position to take care of me so I was basically raised by my aunt and uncle whose daughter was 18 when I was born. I had a great childhood, but I didn’t realize that until I was grown. I was surrounded by people who loved me, but I still felt apart from everyone. Maybe that’s why the feelings Jack had for his grandparents didn’t bother me. I knew they weren’t logical but in a way I could relate. We all relate to things by what we bring into the situation.
I’ve been waiting for this!
Okay, I think you already know how I feel about Jack’s lack of feeling for his grandparents. It really bothered me, and frankly, has colored my opinion of Jack in a negative light. Because of that one aspect of his personality–his inability to return their affection made me sympathize with them rather than him. To be blunt, it made me dislike Jack and I never really recovered from it.
The question about Jack’s irresponsible night is an interesting one because, well, I’m a girl. From a young age, I was told that it wasn’t safe for me to be out by myself at night. I grew up in a small town, and I was still told that. But my brothers? They could go out whenever they wanted. It also reminded me of The Prince of Tides, in which the main character (a boy) is raped. In his telling of the tale, the MC says that he didn’t even know that a boy could be raped. His mother even denied that it could have happened to him.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that, in some ways, people are still in denial that these things happen. Clearly, there are some skewed beliefs about rape (Representative Akin, I’m glaring at you) that still exist. And it doesn’t surprise me that Jack doesn’t want to tell anyone about it, or that he has a lot of difficulty processing it.
I have so much more I want to say, but this comment is long enough already!
I feel like a heel. I must have totally read over the grandparents disdain. I think I was too caught up in Jack’s weirdness.
Actually, I, myself don’t think it was groovy much worse than any other teen attitude. Especially for one that had parents who bailed.
It’s rebellion. Being pissed off. And a shit ton of being scared and insecure. Jack is not a bad kid nor should he be treated like the villain here.
Sorry. That was supposed to say “really much worse” not groovy.
You are PASSIONATE about Jack, Amy! I think ppl react differently to Jack depending on their own experiences and such. I doubt anyone thinks he’s the villain! That is obviously Freddie, and maybe Marbury…?
His feelings toward his grandparents didn’t bother me as much. Mainly because I’ve raised 3 teens and one of them is still living here. The teen brain is a totally different animal. I had a boss once that said when a teen turns 13 someone comes in and steals their brain. It isn’t returned until they are in their early 20′s. That’s when they start acting human again and learn to appreciate their parents. Even though I think Jack’s state of mind is way beyond that, there is a lot of truth in that statement.
I made a similar comment to Ruby once about Jack treating his grandparents like he does. Teenagers are egocentric and trying to become independent from their families. I remember being a total douche to my mom, at times. It’s just part of the developmental process…lol
Exactly! I drove my aunt and uncle crazy and remember being a little witchy grump for most of my teen years. Now she can’t stop talking about what a sweet kid I was. I just shake my head and ask her who exactly it is that she’s remembering. LOL!
Same with my mom, but they understand…after the fact.
Okay, yes, I agree that teens can be total asshats, especially to their parents, but it’s not Jack’s behavior towards his grandparents that irks me, it’s his lack of feeling. And maybe I’m reading too much into this, but doesn’t appear to ever have loved them, doesn’t remember any good times with them. I’d understand if he was all, “they don’t understand me/I hate them/why don’t they leave me alone!” But that’s not Jack’s perspective. He’s indifferent to them, which I find frightening.
Ahhh, yes. His ambivalence could be a sign of schizophrenia or some sort of psychosis, or a mood disorder. Or even a personality disorder. Hmmmm…
1) I took this as something of what is to be expected from a teenager who has experienced this, which I cannot imagine. I think his grandparents are doing their best but over compensating for the abandonment which further causes his issues. This is stemming from what seems to be an abandonment complex, which further is exasperated during his kidnapping. I have seen others parallel his reaction of wanting to be back as straight up Stockholm Syndrome. No matter what, he was screwed from his birth, the abandonment issues are not going to be cured with being his parents and giving him all kinds of freedom. Kids with these problems would have done better with stronger forms of RULES in the household, and not a credit card no matter HOW much love they showed.
2) In this case? I probably would have done the same thing. He said he was a doctor and he had a tag on. Problem is being that out of it and still drunk, I am betting I would have. In fact I have, and I paid and am still paying for it.
3) I do not believe in retribution or an eye for an eye. I understand them but I do not want those kinds of powers, we are blinded by emotion, we as a society, government, individuals, cannot have this kind of power. It is a black and white thing, there is no exception to the rule. There is a reason why people are innocent before being deemed guilty, no matter what. This is why we as a society have had the power taken away from us with the laws involved I this manner. As much as vigilantes can be the peoples hero, honestly, they are as bad as the criminals no matter what their intent is, taking the LAW into your own hands never will work out well. Religiously retribution magic is something I am trained in, and I will be paying for the work I did for all my life and further on, in my belief. It never did anything but make me an angry person. Rule of three.
I think there are certainly times where I think it needs to be in place, but my problem with the death penalty is “IT’S FINAL”. What happens if the person is not guilty. What happens if we have made a mistake? Yes I have, I am a victim of something in that realm, no comment on it, but I can related to a point as a teen and an adult. I would hope there would be rehabilitation, but honestly no. Did I want my attacker to die? I thought so and in the end when I was notified he died in jail, I was a mess for a long time, I could not deal with the emotions involved.
I think about how they commit these heinous acts all the time, especially when I am awoken from a nightmare I the middle of the night in a sheer panic attack.
4) Yes it is creepy as all heck, but also explainable.
I already touched a bit on this, yes he has PTSD but this is straight up Stockholm Syndrome. The PTSD is when he actually thinks he has not really escaped but it still there, Delusional detachment combined with PTSD and Stockholm and oh abandonment!
5)I think time will tell! I am not going to even venture down this road.
THANK you so MUCH! This is great, it ended up causing an argument in the house until my man realized I was talking about a BOOK DISCUSSION (he takes life to seriously at times)
I was thinking Stockholm too. The way he keeps thinking about Fredee…in a weird maybe wishes he was still there.
the wishing he was still there I think is a combo. Fredee WANTED him, he takes his grandparents as not having a choice, but Fredee wanted him, no matter how horrid the situation is. Top that with Stockholm and BAM, a mixture for bad bad stuff!
Jack does seem to be oddly infatuated to Freddie, but I’m not sure that Jack would stick up for him. I don’t think it’s Stockholm at all. He could be experiencing dissociate fugues though, and that is taking the psychopathology to ENTIRELY new awesome levels. Fugues are the most fascinating psych disorder, to me, and now that I think about it….hmmm.
But from what my MIL just explained to me Stolkholm can take on many forms and levels.He did state he wanted to be back there a few times, but he would not stick up for him so yes. However now that I mention the fugues she did the same thing… “HMMMMMm now you might just have something thar” (from AR)
Not to get personal, but it sounds like you might have PTSD, as well. Hopefully things have gotten better for you through therapy *hugs*
Ohhh. The abandonment issue is crazy. Abandonment issues can be a sign of Borderline Personality Disorder, but that isn’t a fit here, in my opinion…
OH I do, and have had years of therapy and did a stint with some meds. I am doing better and hardly ever have break through dreaming. But there were times when I was BACK there where it happened. I don’t agree with abandonment issues, they do not just apply to BPD (my brother has BPD) Abandonment issues can happen with other things too. He was abandoned! How could he not… and who knows hmmmmmmmm
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