Sixth Meeting: The Imperfectionists

Yesterday was the sixth meeting of Eat, Drink, and Be Literary-- and we really lived up to the name of our book club, let me tell you! Halley hosted our biggest group yet (14!) for brunch and discussion of Tom Rachman's Imperfectionists.

The book is actually quite similar in format to our fifth book club book (Let the Great World Spin);  it is a series of short stories that all intertwine to become a novel. This novel is set in Rome (a bonus for me) and each chapter is told from the point of view of a member of the staff at an American newspaper there. The characters are desperate and flawed, and the chapters are told much like a newspaper article would be-- they are abrupt and lack closure. 

The overwhelming opinion of the group was "eh"; however, which side of "eh" people fell on was quite varied. Some thought it was boring, some thought it was sad. I am apparently twisted because I thought the book was hilarious. I guess I thought the desperation and tragic nature of each story was supposed to be part of a dark comedy.

One thing everyone agreed on was that the book was well written, and that each of the characters had a distinct voice. We heard from work-a-holic editors, disgruntled copy writers, dried up correspondents so desperate for a headline that they fabricated an entire story, an uninspired obituary writer, and one of my favorites-- a dedicated reader who was a decade behind in the news, but read every word of every issue. Each character was more pathetic than the next (the newspaper included) and I found it to be funny, charming, and engaging. Finding out I was mostly alone in this opinion is making me re-think whether I would recommend this book to others.

Despite the apathy and negative feelings towards the book, we had an incredibly lively discussion, much of which was due to Halley's fantastic list of discussion questions. I think it was also due to the large numbers present. Several people came for the first time (including Lisa which I was incredibly nervous about since she is my "book club guru" but she had a great time) and nobody was shy about expressing opinions or asking questions. Every meeting I am just overwhelmed with gratitude for being surrounded by such brilliant people!

These brilliant people also happen to be fantastic chefs so I am doubly grateful. Our spread was pretty incredible. I contributed some measy "bake'n" (baked bacon), but others took the brunch challenge more seriously. We had mimosas, crepes, an egg casserole, cappuccino muffins, cranberry muffins, banana bread with chocolate chips, and the most amazing lemon curd filled pastry things I have ever had. I don't even know what they are called, but man they were something.

Overall a GREAT meeting. I'm still on my book club high a day later!