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That talk with my coworker about character deaths in book club
I was sitting in the break room with Dave from accounting last Tuesday and he mentioned how he hated when a book kills off a main character just for shock value. He said it makes him feel like the author is cheating, not telling a real story. That hit different because I realized I've been defending those deaths for years in my book club, saying they're 'bold storytelling.' But honestly, thinking back, a lot of them didn't serve the plot at all, they were just there to make us gasp. Now I'm rethinking how I vote on our monthly picks, because Dave might be right that a quiet, meaningful death is way better than a loud, pointless one. Has anyone else had a book club debate where a single comment made you flip your whole stance on something?
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hayden_butler272d agoTop Commenter
Wow, that really hit me reading this! I've been in the exact same spot where a random comment from someone made me totally rethink something I was so sure about. It's wild how we can get so locked into defending something just because we've been doing it for a while, but then one honest take from someone like Dave just breaks it all open. I've had that happen with a few books where I was all in on the big shocking moment, but later realized it was just there to be dramatic and didn't really add anything real to the story. It's a good reminder to step back and think about why we actually like the books we do, and not just go with the flow.
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lilyg832d ago
Wait, Dave actually said that to your face?
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jake_owens1d ago
Hmm idk I feel like sometimes people overthink this stuff and it's just not that deep.
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