We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves: Shortlisted for the Booker Prize

I thought I would love this book but I found the first half quite laborious, I felt like I had seen the so-called twist before and while the second half was definitely more engaging I really struggled to get there!

I loved this book, it was a real eye-opener and amazingly written. It's written from a girls point of view who's childhood was a huge experiment that ending abruptly when she was 5. She is an adult not and is delving into her past to find out what truly happened.

This is a fascinating novel which takes a very unpredictable turn part of the way through. Our group found it an intriguing story and loved the characters. We don’t want to give away the plot but we do recommend it.

Whitegrove Book Club – Group Summary
Some very positive feedback from the group. Some thought Karen Joy Fowler’s novel changed their perception of how we look at our fellow beings and the environment; to some it illustrated the injustice that they felt some Earth species experience sharing their planet with humans.

Many positive comments about the marketing ploy and enticement to read the enclosed envelope, only to be opened on a specific page of the book. Despite this one member opened the envelope when were first given a copy. This perhaps demonstrates the differences in how some people read and encounter a book for the first time. One member decides if he is to read a book by reading the opening and closing pages. Therefore some of the Whitegrove group guessed (or had already heard about) the identity of Fern but ultimately, anticipating this revelation did not decrease the enjoyment of the book as a whole.

Most people in the group enjoyed it: many thought it was very good; a couple found it a satisfactory read; one liked the way it made him think reflect on his siblings (though wasn't too greatly taken with the novel) and one "hated it" for the use of swear words. He thought the author was showing off in her use of complicated words.

Some were genuinely shocked how the book highlighted a truth of man’s sometime inhumanity to her fellow beings on a sociological level and how the parents’ actions affected Fern (in addition to Rosemary and Lowell). It was also found interesting that the Orwellian idea that some of us are more “equal than others” was demonstrated in the book between Fern and the family’s pet dog.

The novel demonstrated and discovered useful insights into us as a planet and people. The majority of the group agreed that it was well-conceived and written and perhaps like all the best novels should accomplish, makes you deeply interested in character and plot but also consider the deeper philosophies, dilemmas and questions the book provokes within the reader.

To many at Whitegrove, an exceptional book.

(Huw)

Whitegrove Book Club Individual Review (pre-meeting)
I'm still only half way through but I love it and the revelation on page 77 came as a real surprise. I had an article discussing the issues on page 77 in my black envelope. I think this book will do well by word of mouth and that it will be a good book to be able to say “Oh I’ve read that”. (The Shock Of the Fall is one of those – I'm looking like a really up to date, well informed reader, thanks to name dropping that book around!)

Not sure they’ll make a film of this one – too complicated to cast but then they might but they couldn’t keep the big surprise a surprise.
Yes really enjoying this book and am recommending it to lots of people. Sorry not to say more but I’m sure it will be a great discussion on Wednesday and I really wish I was there to hear peoples thoughts and to see what was in their envelopes!

I would normally leave a half read book at home if I'm off away but this one is going with me and I hoping to force my friends to read it.

Looking forward to hearing about what people think of the book.

(Nicola, Whitegrove Library Book Club)

Whitegrove Book Club Individual Review

This is a very interesting and thought provoking book.
It's one of the best books I have read in a while and a great book group book as I could not stop talking about it to my husband and anyone who would listen whilst reading it.
I liked the way the author starts the story in the middle of the tale, we understand that Rosemary is a little damaged and from an unconventional, dysfunctional family who is still grieving the loss of her sister before the big reveal. Her sister, Fern, is a chimpanzee.
I had kind of guessed, so it was not a shock and I certainly did not feel cheated by the author. It was certainly the right approach to take, so you understand the loss that Rosemary feels and the sense of betrayal she feels towards her parents before you learn that Fern is an ape.
You go on this journey with Rosemary as she remembers more and more about her childhood and her family. It is interesting to see towards the end the differences in Rosemary’s memories and that of her mother and brother.
The book makes you think long and hard about the type of ape studies carried out in the 1960's and 70's and how we should treat these animals now. It made me feel ashamed to be human, when as a race we act so inhumanly to other animals, in particular to the apes we put in zoos and use for medical studies.
It's a book that you do not stop reading or want for it to end.
I would score it 10/10 and have recommended it to other book groups.
The Whitegrove book group were split on the book, with [three] not enjoying the book at all and did not connect with the characters. One found it difficult to read and although one enjoyed the book she said it might not be to everyone’s taste. We did discuss the book for quite a while which is always a good thing.
So pleased Huw got this book for us to read!

(Name withheld, Whitegrove Book Club)

I found this book to be very well written, beautifully structured and the main premise was very interesting. It was a flawed book in that there were some strands that didn't really go anywhere, even thought they seemed that they might be part of the plot. Towards the end I thought it slightly lost its way and seemed rather hastily finished. At times it seemed that the author was interested in the material from a scientific point of view and forgot it was a novel. But overall it was a really good read, unusual subject matter and some great sections of writing. Definitely one to read.

I enjoyed much of this but wasn't sure what was achieved by the structure. And with such strong subject matter I felt the story could have been more compelling.

I really enjoyed this book. It was both moving and informative about the relationship between primates.

This was an interesting read that was not what i expected. All i knew about it was that there was a twist, but that was not the main thing. The 'twist' is reavealed quite early on. This book is about Rosemary who is still connected to the experiment conducted on her and her sister fern when they were five. I would recommend 12+ who like animals, science, philosophy and coming of age.