I just finished this book, the first I’ve read from this author. It’s an incredibly deep and quietly disturbing book. The kind of book I’d have loved to write a paper on in college. There are a lot of themes and angles at play, but what stuck out for me was the backhanded reminder about mortality and the human condition.
The reader is left to wonder at the character’s resignation and calm acceptance of their gruesome fate, until it eventually becomes clear that their situation is not so unique. The students know they’re going to die, but they don’t know exactly how or when, or what it will be like. And they’re left to figure out how to live with this knowledge. Sound familiar?
I was also intrigued by Tommy’s animals. Searching for images around this topic yields some interesting visual interpretations, like this one. The book questions the point of art if we’re all going to die. What is the point of anything, really? While it doesn’t give us the answer, it provides a lot of interesting context to weigh in on the conversation.
