I saw a book club at the Denver library get really heated about a character choice

I was picking up a hold at the central branch last Thursday when I passed their meeting room. A group of about eight people were deep into a debate over a book I think was called 'The Midnight Library'. One woman was almost yelling about how the main character should have picked a different life path. Another guy kept saying, 'But that's the whole point, she needed to learn that lesson!' They went back and forth for a solid fifteen minutes before the moderator stepped in. How do your clubs handle it when people get that passionate over a fictional person's decisions?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena3731mo ago

Honestly we get that mad about real people's choices too, it's just easier with a book.

christopher_sullivan1mo ago

Yeah the "easier with a book" part is spot on. But I'd argue it's not just easier, it's safer. Getting mad at a real person can blow up your real life. Getting mad at a fictional choice just means you close the book and complain online. The stakes are zero, so the feelings can be huge without any consequences.

michaelchen1mo ago

The thing is, the anger at real people's choices usually has a limit. You might be furious your friend moved away, but you can't stay that mad forever because you still care about them. With a book, there's no relationship to fix, so the frustration can just sit there and grow. It's pure, untempered annoyance at a choice that will never be taken back.