The+Almost+Moon+by+Alice+Seabold

//The Almost Moon//- Alice Sebold

__Week 1__: September 25 (P. 3-61: Ch.1-4)
 * Jess Badia- A
 * Victoria Otteson- B
 * Shellie Rotolo- C
 * Alisha Parikh- D

>> -We thought that Helen in some ways she had good intentions because she wanted to end her mother's misery, as she had been sick for a very long time and was lonely without her husband. We also felt that Helen killed her mother for her own selfish reasons such as not wanting to take care of her anymore and also because she had a difficult childhood. Her mother, Clair was not very stable and was not a very supportive parent, she only cared for herself, and even doing that was difficult with her mental illness. >> - Helen says that when they are young all children think of killing their mother, but she could not believe that she had actually done so. Helen was not very close to her mother, they often had their differences but Clair was a very selfish mother, she was not able to take care of Helen emotionally or physically. >> -We felt that it was wrong of Helen to drag her ex-husband, Jake, into her mistakes. She called him, making him aware of the crime, and Jake had said that he would come over to help her. This is putting Jake at risk, and he will most likely be punished for the crime, even though he did not actually kill Helen's mother. >> -It is our opinion that she felt obligated to, she did not want to bring her mother to shame because she had soiled herself. Helen and her mother both cared about their appearance and it would not be honorable. We also think that Helen may have felt guilty and wanted to make herself feel better about her crime. >> -Yes, Helen's father cared for the family all of his life. He cooked everyday, went to work, and even did the little things that needed to be done. He played both the role of the mother and the father, Helen's mother was more like a second child. Helen probably felt that her mother forced her father into a poor life of nothing but work. Her father never really got to enjoy his family because he was too busy taking care of Helen and Clair all by himself. -Alisha: part D
 * 1) What do you think provoked Helen to kill her mother?
 * 1) Do you think it is write of Helen to say that she hated her mother and on the other hand she is crying?
 * 1) Was it right of Helen to involve someone else (Jake) in her crime?
 * 1) Why was she so bent on bathing her mother and grooming her if she did not care about her in the first place?
 * 1) Do you think Helen blames her mother for her father's poor life and his death?

Book Club Meeting Review

At this weeks book club, we discussed what we thought of the first bits of __The Almost Moon__ over iced tea and yummy frosted brownies. We all agreed that some parts of the book were confusing, like Helen's motives, the way Clair acted, and how Helen's father died. We also discussed how we felt about the book in general. Personally, I'm not enjoying it because I think it's weird. Everyone else agrees that it's weird, but they don't hate it. Mostly we discussed the questions above the whole time and talked about our opinions on the book so far. -Shellie

Characters Helen- Helen is the main character and the narrator of the book. In the very beginning of the book, Helen kills her mother. Then, throughout the development of the book, you learn of all the emotional and physical abuse she lived through as a child. Her mom affected her personality and life so drastically that all her life is wrapped around her mother now, all her focus is on how her mother is feeling, reacting, and emoting; never once has she focused on herself. This has led to so much pent up resentment towards her mother that, after she kills her, she begins to go through a period of catharsis which illustrates more fully the relationship she had with her mother and the other people in her life.

Clair- Clair is Helen’s mother. Clair, as Helen was growing up, was very emotionally manipulative, making other people feel guilty for things that weren’t their fault, responsible for things that they needn’t be, and unloved when she was mad at them. She held so much power and sway in the family, despite her negative role. Helen’s father devoted his life to her, and she abused him to the point of suicide. With Helen, she left her with so many complexes and insecurities, that it drove Helen to kill her. Clair was not all there, though, she had many mental issues herself, and damaging events in her own life that scarred her. Though that does not justify her actions, it does give insight into her own psychoses that led to her murder.

-Victoria: Part B

__Week 2__: October 2 (P. 62-112: Ch.5-8)
 * Alisha Parikh- A
 * Jess Badia- B
 * Victoria Otteson- C
 * Shellie Rotolo- D

For this week's book club, we are going to be discussing the language of the book. The language of a book has to do with many things. One is whether or not it is easy to read. Also, it has to do with the conversations, if there are any, that are going on through the chapters. Another is whether a book is written simply or in a complicated manner. The language of a book very much depends on the vocabulary of the book. The vocabulary might be hard or easy, but the grade level of the book does not necessarily depend on the vocabulary of the book. It is very important to understand the language of a book, because the level of comprehension of the book very much depends on the language of the book.
 * //Topic: Language//**

The book __The Almost Moon__ is interesting, yet hard to comprehend at times. This is because the plot goes from the past to the present many times in each chapter. One paragraph could be about what is presently happening in the book, and the next could be about what happened in the past of the book. The switch is not always apparent. This causes reading the book to be a little bit bumpy, instead of a smooth read. The book does not just flow, it stops at one spot and starts at another in random parts of the book. Certain parts of the book need to be read several times to understand what exactly is happening.

There are many conversations throughout the book, which help understand what is happening in the character's lives. The conversations sometimes indicate the change between the past and the present of the book. The conversations also help get the view of some of the characters in the book. It is nice to have some insight into characters that are not the narrator, because that way, the narrator's feelings and thoughts are not the only ones known.

The book is written very simply at parts, and at other parts, it is written in a very complicated manner. The simple parts flow nicely and are easy to understand. The parts that are complicated are the parts of the book that cause bumpy reading and the confusing of the reader. Though there are both simple writing and complicated writing in the book, it is still written in a very respectable manner. There are many sentences in the book that draw the reader more and more into the book. There are also some sections that force the reader to continue reading.

The vocabulary of the book is not very hard to understand. As of now, there are not many words or phrases that are not common. The words, for the most part, are very easy to understand. Much of the vocabulary is very common. The vocabulary that is not common is easy to figure out, because of the context they are put into. Most of the points that are made in the book are pretty straight forward.

Though this book does not have hard vocabulary, it is a little bit hard to understand at times. As I mentioned before, the plot is hard to follow. Also, the themes, plots, dilemmas, and almost every part of the book are not written for young children to read. I know this because for many sections of the book, if you are not old enough, you most likely will not understand the themes. The book does not necessarily belong to one grade level in my opinion. I believe as long as you are the age of a high school student or if you are older than high school students, then you can read the book. The book requires certain knowledge and a certain level of understanding to realize what is occurring in the book.

The language of the book, in my opinion, is set up nicely. The book has many interesting parts, which depend on the language of the book. If the book was not written in the format it is in, but had the same plot, it would most likely not be as interesting as it currently is. The language of a book can be the entire reason for whether the reader believes that the book is good or not. - Jess Badia

The Almost Moon Book Club Questions 10/1/09

1.What was the significance of Helen spending time with Hamish? She did it because she wanted to feel loved and that someone still cared about her. Her father died, her husband left her, and her kids are all grown up. She has killed off her mother and now she feels like there is no one else to love her. They seem to have formed an emotional connection after they slept together.

2.What do you think of the way the author switches from past memories to present times? It's annoying sometimes, and it can be confusing. It takes some getting used to, and it can be hard to differentiate. The switching back and forth helps explain Helen's actions and how her mother treated her.

3.Do you think Helen is making good decisions for her life or bad ones? I think she's making bad decisions, but she has the mentality that she's good. She sleeps with Hamish and kills her mother, thinking she can help herself and always tries to justify it to herself. She tells herself she is making good decisions but in reality it will catch up to her.

4.What do all of Helen's flashbacks tell us about the story? It adds insight and reason to what's going on in Helen's mind and what went on in her past. It explains her motives in killing her mom and sleeping with Hamish. It helps tell the story.

5.What impact did Billy's death have on Helen and Clair's everyday life? It pushed Clair over the edge into insanity. She wouldn't leave the house or talk to anyone. Her husband had to protect her with blankets. She forced Helen go out and face the angry neighborhood men, and Helen was abused by them. Everyone got mad at Clair and she needed to please everyone so she couldn't handle it. Helen had to take the abuse for her mother because she never left the house. Everyone was furious with Clair and she made Helen take all of it.

Meeting Review- 10/1/09

During the second book club meeting, we discussed the idea of right and wrong, and how it applied to Helen and her killing her mother. We debated the question of whether or not the abuse Helen received from her mother, Clair, justifies the killing of Clair, or does it not? Does Helen's mental damage from her experiences as a child factor into the guilt distribution in her mother's murder? The group consensus was no, that Helen, as abused and angry and upset as she may have been, had no right to kill her mother. There were many ways, other than killing her mother, to deal with the pent up anger and resentment she held towards her mother. In choosing to kill her mother, Helen made a bad choice, a choice that will now affect her for the rest of her life.

__Week 3__- October 9th, 2009 (P. 113- 170: Ch. 9-10)


 * Shellie Rotolo- A
 * Alisha Parikh- B
 * Jess Badia- C
 * Victoria Otteson- D

B: Throughout the book Helen has been forced to confront her past. As we get further into the book we see what caused Helen to kill her mother. The book is filled with regret, memories that we would not like to look back on. Her whole life, Helen has had to deal with emotional badgering from her mother. The tone of the book depicts the remorse that Helen feels for killing her mother and other events that have been brought out through the sequence of events. Helen's true feelings about her mother and her past come out as the story continues. It makes the reader feel sorry for Helen but also makes them wonder is her past an excuse for what she has done?

C: Book Club Meeting Review This week we met for our third book club meeting, and it seemed to be the most confusing of them all. We mainly discussed the confusing aspects of the book. Though the part of the book that we read was not very interesting, it was hard to understand in certain parts, so we wanted to focus on those parts during the meeting to clear up all of the confusing parts. We discussed the changes in the characters feelings and motives. One character focused on was Jake. This is because Jake seemed to be going back and forth with his feelings on the subject of the murder. At first, Jake said that he would do anything for Helen, but then he told her that he wanted nothing to do with the murder of Helen's mother. He went back to saying that he would help Helen get away with the murder, but then he went to saying that he did not take part in the murder, so he did not need to protect himself or Helen against the cops. Another character focused on was Helen, because not only is she the main character, but she was also a very indecisive person when it came to her feelings. She went back and forth with her feelings on the murder, about her mother, about Jake, and about Hamish. She felt relieved, sad, mad, and happy that she killed her mother. This is a very confusing mixture of emotions, because they do not relate with each other. We discussed how we thought Helen really felt, and how Helen just thought she felt. Helen had a love- hate relationship with her mother. Our discussion led to the conclusion that Helen did not like her mother's actions, but she knew that her mother had good reason for her actions, so she accepted her mother anyways. Helen loved her mother, but hated her mother's illness and what it caused her to do. Helen loved Jake, but she still continued thinking about Hamish in sexual ways. She wished that she was still with Jake, yet she wished that she could go have sex with Hamish. It seems like she has always and will always love Jake, but she believes that he is unattainable for her. It also seems like Helen wants to be with Hamish just to have someone there for her. She has Jake by her side, but she also wants a lover by her side to comfort her, and Jake is not willing to be that person. The discussion was a success, because it helped make what we read less confusing. We discussed everything over the very appetizing bagels and orange juice that Shellie brought. The food made for good breakfast, and the discussion made for a good morning. The discussion definitely helped everyone in the group enjoy the book more, because a book is more enjoyable when it is less confusing. - Jess Badia

Week 3 Book Club Questions

1. Do you think Jake still loves Helen? Do you think Helen still loves Jake? Helen definitely loves Jake, and Jake still loves Helen. If Jake didn't love Helen, he wouldn't have come to help her. Helen also says that she loves him in the book, too, and she wishes periodically that she could go back and change what happened- not get the divorce, stay together, and save their marriage. Having Jake with her is bringing back memories of happier times.

2. Through all the flashbacks, you gain insight to Helen and Clair's relationship? It's love/hate relationship- Helen would do anything for her mom, despite the fact that she doesn't want to. She loves her mother as a person, but she hates the way she manipulates and controls everything in her life. Despite that, she feels obligated to help her mother because it has always been her responsibility. She killed her mother because she was done dealing with her mother- but if you look a little closer, you can see that Helen and Clair are very alike. Helen knows that they are, and it bothers her, but she can't find a way to change what has been instilled inside of her by her mother.

3. What was wrong with Clair? She was traumatized by what happened with Billy- when she saw him die, it hurt her more than she cared to let people know. The neighborhood's reaction to her response, or lack thereof, to Billy's death tore apart her fragile confidence though. The one thing in the world that Clair cared most about was her outward appearance, but once the neighborhood shunned her, there was no one to put on a show for, and she lost he purpose. That caused her to withdraw and hide herself, and she became the shell of herself you see throughout the book.

4. Why do you think Jake wants to take the blame? It's similar to the situation between Helen's father and Clair- Helen's father loved Clair, and he devoted his life to her until he couldn't handle it any longer and killed himself. Jake is in a similar situation- he still loves Helen, and his knee-jerk reaction is still to do anything for her, to help her in any way possible, even if it includes personal sacrifice, just to protect her from herself.

5. Is it fair for Jake to be mad at Helen? When Helen called Jake, it was unfair of her to involve him like that. But after that phone call, all the decisions to get further involved were Jake's, so he can't place any more blame on Helen.

__Week 4__- October 16th, 2009 (P. 171-230: Ch. 11-13)

Part C: At Friday's meeting we discussed the events that have taken place so far and in this section of the book. We discussed Helen and Clair's relationship in Clair's later years. It seemed that they grew closer together as Clair and Helen aged. We analyzed how Helen's father was slowly pulling away from his family. He would often spend the night in his old house to get away from the stress that came with Clair. As we progress through the book, there are many pieces to the puzzle. As each piece is put together it starts to make sense what caused Helen to kill her mother. This part of the book is starting to lag and some parts were a bit confusing. After the discussion we began to put the story together. We discussed this over the delicious raspberry danish and milk that Tori had brought.
 * Victoria Otteson- A
 * Shellie Rotolo- B
 * Alisha Parikh- C
 * Jessica Badia- D

Book Club Questions- Part D 1. Why did Clair begin to tell Helen her deepest secrets when she was in her early 80's? Clair knew she was going to eventually die, and she wanted to feel closer to Helen. Clair's secrets were deep, and it would help her relationship with Helen if she told her the secrets. She wanted to have more of a friend relationship with Helen, especially because Clair did not have many friends.

2. Why did Helen's dad finally go through with killing himself? He used to be out in the shed with the guns, so he was not happy with his life. He wanted to wait until Helen was older so that she could deal with her mother alone. He might have tried to kill himself before, but could not go through with it. He finally was able to do it.

3. Who were the two baby wooden statues of? Clair's miscarriages before Helen was born. They were the lost babies of Clair and her husband. He still has them on his mind.

4. Why didn't Helen's father just leave Clair if he didn't even want to sleep in the same house as her anymore? He couldn’t stand the idea of abandoning Clair. He loved her, but could not deal with her at times. He didn’t want to abandon her or Helen, his only daughter.

5. Did Helen have the right to be upset with her father for leaving her alone with her mother at times? She understood that he needed that time, but she was mad that she had to take care of her mother alone. He didn’t take her with him, so in other words, he just left her, or abandoned her.

6. Why did Helen's nightmares include boxes with pieces of her mother? It was foreshadowing the future of the book. Helen said that every kid thought of killing his or her mother, so she had the dreams of the murder, but could not imagine killing her mother.

7. Why did Helen feel awkward undressing in front of Tanner after all of those years? She felt like there was something different about her, because she killed her mother. She had something to hide now, unlike before, when she was a very open person. Her ambitions had changed since the last time that she had seen him.

8. When Helen said "it's over" to Tanner, what did she mean? It could have been about her modeling, her taking care of her mother, her going through with killing her mother, or the cops figuring out that she killed her mother. - Jess B.

Topic Question (Part B)- Michelle Rotolo

Some definite themes in __The Almost Moon__ would be death and judgment. Helen faces many issues in her judgment as she faces reality after killing her mother. After calling and getting her ex-husband, Jake, involved, Helen sleeps with Hamish, her best friend Natalie's son. She ignores her responsibility to her mother, and leaves her body in the freezer before leaving the house. Death is also represented when Clair's neighbor dies, while no one but herself and Jake know that Helen has murdered her mother, Clair.

__Week 5__- October 23rd, 2009

B- Final Reflections After reading and reflecting on __The Almost Moon__, our group came to a consensus that the book was very strange. It was very choppy and disconnected, and the protagonist, Helen, was not easy to relate to. Helen would do outrageously absurd things, so strange that it seemed as if Alice Sebold put them in the book for pure shock value. Due to the overall negative feedback from the group, I would not recommend it for other people, even if you enjoyed __The Lovely Bones__; __The Almost Moon__ is nothing like it. The book should also not be considered for the school curriculum as it has many highly controversial and adult topics- it discusses undiagnosed mental illnesses, suicide, abuse, sex, murder, necrophilia, among many other things. But instead of doing so in a tasteful way, Alice Sebold manages to make these topics as awkward and offensive as possible, going into gruesome detail unnecessarily. I have never seen or read a book that discusses this topic- the topic of murdering one's own mother- in fact, this book may be alone in the genre, so there is really nothing to compare it to.
 * Jessica Badia-A
 * Victoria Otteson- B
 * Shellie Rotolo- C
 * Alisha Parikh- D

D- Questions: 1. Do you think Helen was with Hamish because he was the only person showed her that she mattered? Yes, because she would think about him through the book. She felt that he was the only one that really cared about her and expressed it. 2. Do you think Helen would have gone back to her home and family or will she run away? She would have gone back because her guilt would have caught up to her. Her family is her life and what defines her, so if she left them she wouldn't know what to do with her life. 3. Do you think that Sarah forgave Helen for killing Clair because she knew what struggles she had to go through? She understood because she knew that Helen had gone through a lot of struggles and emotional stress. Killing Clair was an emotional catharsis. She knew Helen had problems because of her mom, Helen never left her mother where as her two daughters left her. Sarah realized that Helen was stronger than her. 4. What did you think about the ending? Helen went to Mrs. Levertons' house and was going through her things. She planned to kill her self but she could not go through with it. 5. Why couldn't Helen go through were killing herself? When her father committed suicide he left her and her mother alone. So she didn't want to put her family through what she had to go through.

Part C- Shellie

In last week's final book club meeting, we ate some peeling but yummy pound cake and drank iced tea, from Jess. We dicussed Alisha's questions, above, and talked about whether or not we liked the book. We all agreed that we did //not// like the book, and we would not pick any books by Alice Sebold in the future. We did not like the style of __The Almost Moon__, and thought it was strange and uninteresting. We did not enjoy our book, and we agreed to further and better research possible Book Club books.