So here's the thing, and I'm only going to say this once, so listen up. (Sorry, I slipped into no-nonsense-mommy-mode there for a second.) This post is going to be a part of 5M4B's discussion round for the bookclub. If you haven't read the book yet, and you're just looking for a review, feel free to check mine out here, or you can see others that are linked up here. Are you with me among all these links? There's just one really important thing you need to know before you read any further.
This post will contain spoilers, and trust me, this is a story that you need to read without any previous knowledge of the twists and turns.
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No, I wasn't cursing at you there, just trying to fill time while everyone who hasn't read the book wandered away. Now it's just us readers, and we're ready to spill the beans. Oh my, can I emphasize strongly enough how much I sobbed at the closing of this story. I'm just going to put this out there in the beginning. The adultery line didn't bother me in the way that I expected it to. (Okay, I knew there'd be a little of that before I read it.) In my opinion, as a reader, I wasn't introduced to Paul as a full character- he wasn't fleshed out very much, so I didn't form an attachment to his character. Now I'm not going to say that I wished him ill or I disliked him, it's simply that the character of Jake was definitely made much more familiar to me. And to further make me more lenient in my judgment, I couldn't really understand how Lily felt in her marriage to Paul anyway- it didn't seem that she knew him much at all before their short courtship became an even shorter marriage before he departed. I feel like I'm saying this all the wrong way... it's not as if I condone adultery, but I was able to understand the feelings that Lily experienced when she actually had a connection with a man that wasn't based upon the expectations of everyone else who controls her life.
Whew. Not sure how that all will go over with other readers. But really, the intense, immediate connection that Lily and Jake experienced is what captivated me. I saw how Lily suddenly became aware-- aware of her own small role in her own life's decisions, aware of injustice right in her own backyard (the black Army sergeant), and aware of the effect she's had on others (Mark's adoration). With her eyes beginning to open, she suddenly meets this person who is like no one she's ever known, and she feels feelings that are just as foreign to her. I was swept away by their sudden connection and romance, and regardless of the technical adultery status, I really felt that they belonged together. They complemented each other in just the exact manner that each needed to be whole. Yeah, yeah, I sound all mushy, I know. But I truly felt that in a different time, under different circumstances, Lily and Jake could have had a lifetime of love and new experiences together. Oh, it's all just too sad.
Okay, that's my share of blubbering on about how much I adored these characters, and was TORN UP when it just never came together for them. I loved their love-- and yes, I do believe they found real love, as fleeting as it was-- and I was heartbroken to learn that they never recaptured those few days.
If you've read this far, I'm pretty sure that you've already read the book Fireworks Over Toccoa, so why don't you join the discussion? Head over to 5 Minutes for Books' "Fireworks Over Toccoa Discussion Questions" and you can link up your own post of thoughts or check out what other readers are saying.
Loving this book more and more,
I like your comment over at my discussion post about how your parents uphold "love at first sight." My point was not that it's impossible, but that you don't know if it IS that kind of love unless it stands up after more than just a week, you know?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I definitely think that the author wrote it so that we would feel more connected to Lily and Jake than Paul. I thought of her age and the separation, but you are right that we don't even really know him. He's not a swarthy man who makes delicious risotto and espresso over a campfire. . . .
But I do think that Lily could hold on to that love knowing she made the right choice in the end, and so it was allowed to remain a sweet memory.