Part Two Discussion
- Welcome to Marbury. What are your first impressions?
- Jack visits Marbury and comes back to “reality” with serious lapses in his memory. What do you think is happening there?
- What do you make of Seth, Jack’s ghostly shadow? What are your thoughts about Seth being in the room with Jack and Freddie?
- Discuss your thoughts regarding the train, the passengers and the soldiers. What the bloody hell happened there?
- Holy crap. Conner is a Hunter in Marbury! And Jack killed a hunter that turned out to be a friend from his track team! Do you think Marbury is a fucked-up alternate reality or a hallucination worthy of an Oscar? Or something else entirely?
Schedule
Please feel free to visit past discussions and continue on!
- 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
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I’m totally getting a Slaughterhouse Five hallucination vibe.
I think Seth may have been a victim of Freddie. Maybe he is a ghost. Or maybe Seth is an imagined ghost of Freddie’s victims or what could have happened to Jack if he didn’t get out of there.
Connor a Hunter. It seems to me that there is something just not right about their BFF status. Maybe Jack resents his ease, or has bottled up all the jibes and jokes at his expense.
So Marbury. If it is his way of coping, will it just be an imagined getaway or is it going to reveal more about what is going on in Jack’s head.
I’m anxious to see how Connor is going to react if he wakes up to Jack in the throws of Marbury or will he even notice…
I like your assumption that Seth may have been one of Freddie’s victims. That’s actually a logical theory, although there is little so far that is logical about any of this. I think I’m pretty much going along for the ride. LOL!
Me too!
I’m thinking the same about Seth!
Wow… I’m not sure if I should be more worried about Jack or about Andrew Smith’s vivid imagination. LOL!
Jack’s stability has something to do with his memory lapse, I’m sure. The fact that both the bar tender and Connor both see Henry proves that he’s not totally imagining things but it kinda makes me wonder where reality starts and fantasy begins. Once again…. wow!
Having Seth be in both worlds is an important thread too, I’m sure. The fact that he was there with Freddie and Jack is significant, but with the way things have gone so far, I’m not sure I even want to hazard a guess.
As far as the train goes, that scene got even more bazaar when Jack recognized people from Marbury on the train to Heathrow. And what would make a train full of soldiers commit suicide? Yikes!
This is definitely a wild ride and it’s actually good that we’re reading it in sections and taking a break in between. I honestly think I’m getting more out of it this way.
I hate to hazard much guessing at this point too. Recognizing the people on the train was a bit freaky.
I’m still not ready to admit he’s not imagining things even if other people mention Henry. If he can imagine Marbury, he can imagine a couple of conversations too.
**Welcome to Marbury. What are your first impressions?
Not sure yet, I am totally creeped out and wondering just where this is going. Do you know how FREAKING HARD IT IS NOT TO READ MORE!????? The train scene in Malbury and our world has me going hmmmmm and loving this book more and more.
**Jack visits Marbury and comes back to “reality” with serious lapses in his memory. What do you think is happening there?
He has not learned how to dispell or seperate the two in his mind. Each time he goes there is less and less of a memory or time loss it seems. Plus I believe it is because he is one of the “ONES” the special ones who is going to doom the world as we know it or end the other one or begin a new one just as Henry said.
**What do you make of Seth, Jack’s ghostly shadow? What are your thoughts about Seth being in the room with Jack and Freddie?
Ghosts are attracted to things, energies that are similar to their own experiences. Seth obviously has had some in the same plus he seems to be one of the “Lost Saviors” or whatever I would cal those three!
Discuss your thoughts regarding the train, the passengers and the soldiers. What the bloody hell happened there?
The soldiers? I am thinking since one seemed to possibly be a suicide was privy to Malbury.. perhaps. Or his act of killing all the rest of the soldiers, which I am not sure how that happened but the scene was not described by a forensic specialist just a young bystander. But if my scenario is the case he caused the train to go into Malbury due to the violent nature of his actions.
Holy crap. Conner is a Hunter in Marbury! And Jack killed a hunter that turned out to be a friend from his track team! Do you think Marbury is a fucked-up alternate reality or a hallucination worthy of an Oscar? Or something else entirely?
Alternative reality. Beginning or end of a world. Where certain traits or experiences exacerbate the person into one roll, hunter or hunted. And, as mentioned in my other “theory” A place where violence spills over when it is to much for the REAL world to handle. So it is like a cluster-f*** of all things so bad even our world wouldn’t be able to handle them.
I love your answer to the last question. It’s the excess of evil that even our world can’t handle. Hmmmmmmmm.
I honestly think MARBURY is Jack’s very own personal Hell. It’s like he’s conjured up this horrifying place that hold all of the terrible memories, thoughts and fears that haunt him and he can’t get away. Yet there is something so very significant about this strange place that even he knows it’s bad and it frightens the hell out of him, he can’t stop going back.
I think Seth is a very unique and special person., or at least at one time he was. I’m not quite sure of the connection yet.
Again, I’m a little confused about the train sitch. Yes it could have been suicide but probably not. I mean really, check out all of the freaking crazies in MARBURY. And all they want to do is heat human flesh. So, I’m banking on that.
I totally think MARBURY is a fucked-up alternate reality. It’s Jack’s Hell. That’s why he can’t leave it. It was a blow finding out Connor was there but really wasn’t that just perfect and if you think about it, it totally makes sense. MARBURY is everything Jack can’t deal with and his worst fears. So, it makes perfect sense Connor is there. Riiiiight?
I agree it is his hell BUT it may be his therapy too. In Marbury the 2 boys look to him. It doesn’t seem that he is in control or the go -to in his realty.
His therapy? Ohhhh. That is an awesome thought.
He is respected & loved by Ben and Griff. He has responsibilities, can be in charge and make decisions. Very interesting…
I have some serious mental images for Marbury. It looks like an over-exposed picture of the desert. The sand is so white, it’s a bit blue. I love settings that evoke such strong imagery. That said, Marbury sucks like whoa. No girls! Most people are dead! The hunters wear scalps on their penises!
At first, I was sure that the whole Marbury thing was going to be a ginormous hallucination and that it was going to turn out that Jack was still with Freddie. But, when he saw all those people on the train (that were dead in Marbury, but alive in London), I became less certain. I think I went back and forth on this question a thousand times.
At first, I thought Conner being a hunter was allegorical. That it was Jack’s subconscious suggesting that Conner is really his enemy. But I’m not really seeing any other parallels between Marbury and Jack’s reality, so we’ll see!
So, you’re saying your have no clue what’s happening?
No worries. None of us do either!
*shifty eyes* Well, I’ve read the whole book, but I’m trying to channel what I was thinking when I read (or, rather, listened) to these parts. So as not to give anything away. Y’know.
Well yea, but I’ve read the book a few times and still have no clue WTF happened. Ha!
Well that’s encouraging Ash! LOL! At least I know I’m not alone.
First impression of Marbury: WTF? Marbury is so horrifying and depressing. I know why Jack keeps going back, but I just don’t think I would be able to do it.
I’m not sure. I suppose he’s not actually “going,” he’s just existing in both places. That has to be what’s happening since he loses time in both places when he’s away. I’m pretty much thinking that he’s imagining the whole thing and he’s just blacking out during the parts he doesn’t remember.
I definitely don’t understand Seth yet. He’s difficult for me to wrap my head around. I know, out of all the things I could have trouble with it’s the ghost? I hope there will be a little more discussion about Seth being in the room with Jack and Freddie because I want to know more about why Seth was there.
I don’t even know, but it’s so freaking weird when he gets on the train later and sees the same people. That makes a good case for either alternate universes or Jack being insane.
My two guesses are definitely alternate reality and hallucination, but who knows with how fucked up this story already is.
I’m ready for more!
I’m ready for more too…. although reading this and The Perks of Being a Wallflower at the same time kind of have me on an emotional roller coaster. LOL! I think for that reason only it’s a good thing I’m only reading each of them in spurts. I would probably end up on emotional overload if not.
Yea, those are two seriously intense books to be reading together. Sorry, Shirley! lol
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