I think the novel was okay. The one thing I disliked most about In The Lake Of The Woods is that not much happens, even though the novel is over 300 pages long. The story progresses slowly because only about half of the book is in the present, the other half is 'Evidence' chapters, 'Hypothesis' chapters, and John's memories. However, the story itself is built off of the events of the past and how they shaped John into the person that he is. The chapters that don't take place in the present usually explain details that show why a character acts the way they do or are treated the way they are. This format for a novel is interesting, but causes the novel to progress slower which makes it not as gripping.
I did enjoy reading this novel because I liked the plot and how the story was structured. The structure of the story was really good because it told a dual story of what happened in Vietnam and what was currently going on with Kathy's disappearance. The structure keeps the reader interested by not boring them with the same story drowning on throughout the book. The plot of the story is another reason this novel in a good read. The plot keeps the reader in the unknown about what happens to Kathy and hints at different possible situations through the hypothesis chapters. This keeps the reader thinking and as the Vietnam stories keep coming it only makes the readers interest in John's mental state and if he could have been involved in Kathy's disappearance. The first hypothesis chapter states “What happened, maybe, was that Kathy drowned”(O’Brien 111). This chapter goes on to state the possible situation of Kathy getting in a boating accident and drowning and paints a very real picture in the reader's mind of this situation. Which really makes the reader think is this what happened? Keeping the reader interested in searching for the answer to that question and wanting to read on to find out.
I had mixed feelings about In the Lake of the Woods. For me personally, I enjoy reading mystery books. In a way this book didn't exactly feel like a mystery book because of the different events going on in Johns life that were taking place. I feel like this book was more about learning about John then it was about finding his wife. That being said, I still enjoyed this book. It had a very unique plot that for the most part was engaging. Also the book was very easy to talk about in our book clubs because of all of the different aspects to the story. Some chapters will be about the investigation with Kathy, some will be about evidence about the disappearance of Kathy or some will be about John and either his childhood or his experiences in Vietnam.
I definitely agree how it didn’t totally feel like a mystery story because John’s life story was kind of taking away from that. In a way though I almost think that getting a deeper look into John’s life helped us get a deeper understanding of why he is the way he is. And having a really good understanding of the characters helps when trying to figure out the mystery.
So is it a mystery about Kathy's disappearance or is it a mystery about John discovering and uncovering himself? Consider what the mystery is really seeking to crack!
In The Lake of The Woods by Tim O’Brien is a mystery as well as vietnam trauma story. I personally really liked the book, especially the fact that there was always something new to learn and piece together. There are a lot of things in the story that I would have never expected, and then there are things that I called from the beginning, and that makes the story really interesting and enjoyable to read. For example the book says: “Kathy got pretty scared sometimes. The detective act. The stuff you’d yellin your sleep. It gave her the heebie-jeebies.” (Tim O’Brien 185.) This is when Pat, Kathy’s sister, was talking to John about the possibilities Kathy could have just left to escape the thought of John. Moments like these I really liked in the story because I had a prediction from the beginning that Kathy actually did know about the spying and that it really creeped her out, leading to why she would randomly leave from time to time, almost to test him. That makes me wonder, if Kathy disappeared to test John? Let me know what you guys think. Another part of the story really liked were the plot twists, or the ‘no way’ moments. The book says: “‘Hey, Sorcerer,’ Weatherby said. The guy started to smile, but Sorcerer shot him anyway.” (Tim O’Brien 110.) This was a moment in the story where I was completely shocked, from the stories that were told about Weatherby and Sorcerer, they were very good pals, but the horror and destruction in Vietnam tricks the brain and bad things happen. The author included these little bits in the text, and it made the book way more enjoyable and hard to put down, I really liked the mystery aspect, and although I have not finished the book, I predict that Kathy left to escape the feeling of being near John and all the things she has not done with her life. However the book ends I am excited to find out, but from what I have read, Tim O’Brien crafted a wonderfully misleading and surprising novel.
I agree with everything that you are saying here. This book is truly wonderful. Although I do not agree with your prediction. I have not yet finished the book either, and I believe that Kathy has gotten killed by John. If you think about it, John killed Weatherby without a thought, who says he did not kill Kathy, during one of his night rampages? Now your prediction could be true and maybe that is what happened, but I feel like John has killed Kathy and he does not remember it.
I liked all of the flashbacks because it really got us into John's mind. We could see where he was coming from and how screwed up he really was. I go back and forth between whether or not John killed Kathy or if Kathy just ran away. This book was really enjoyable for me to read too.
I also agree with all of your thoughts about this book. It was a very interesting and unique compilation of events and it never failed to hold suspense. One downside to that I found was that it could get kind of confusing and kind of jump around randomly which I was not a fan of. But all in all I am also excited to find out what the rest of this crazy novel has in store at the end.
I did enjoy reading this book. Although it was a little confusing it was good. I have not finished the book but I can tell that the novel was good. I liked how the mystery is set up to confuse us. It is set up in a way that it leads us one way then tells us something else. At one point in the text they tell us more of John’s memory of the night he burned the plants. The text states, “At one point, he remembered, her eyelids snapped open” (188). This is a way that the text confuses us to make us believe that John did something to Kathy. Throughout the whole book I have thought back and forth between John killing Kathy, and Kathy leaving. This part in the book made me think differently which is why I love the book. It doesn’t tell us what happened right away. Actually I do not know if it ever tells us, which if the book doesn’t tell us I will not like the book as much. Only because the book is a mystery book and if it didn’t reveal the mystery that would suck. All in all right now I love the book and I enjoyed reading it. I am glad that this is my book club book.
I haven't finished the novel either, but I'm hoping we get closure regarding what actually happened to Kathy. Did she pick up and leave or did John murder her? I agree with your reasons for liking this book.
I agree with you on how the book was a little confusing with all of the many possibility's of who killed who or if Kathy just disappeared which really kept you on your toes wanting to keep reading and find out what really happened
Yes the mystery is awesome in the way that it sets us up for confusion. I think it is very interesting how you say that John killed Kathy, and after thinking about and analyzing your evidence, I totally agree with that. John over time definitely destroyed the Kathy that he originally fell in love with way back when.
I did enjoy reading this novel. I felt it kept me on my toes and the ongoing mystery made me want to keep reading. The conflict between John and Kathy has been really interesting to follow. This book forces the readers to think, analyze John’s behavior, and predict what actually happened. I had a love/hate relationship with the somewhat vagueness of this book. For example, “A sense of pre-memory washed over him. Things had happened here. Things said, things done. He squatted down, brushed a hand across the dirt floor, and put the hand to his nose. The smell gave him pause. … He sniffed his hand again, then shook his head. The dank odor revived facts he did not wish to revive” (188). At this point in the book we still have no idea what is going on and a chunk of text like this only makes us think more. While I like that it makes me want to read more, it’s also frustrating not getting closure when I want closure. Overall, I enjoyed this novel.
I agree with you on the fact that it does not give enough information. It was hard to read at times when it gave us information on a topic, but then did not give more until later in the book. At times you can miss something that happened because of how spread out the information is. There were many times I did not know what the novel was talking about, but like you I still really like the novel. I agree that the book is good, it is always hard to put down because we want to figure out what happens next.
Totally, the book always seemed to show us the end and call it a day, and then boom the novel continues. I can agree with that fact that the book was frustrating at some points, because it most certainly was. Do you think that the book was written this way to almost make us forget about what was truly important in the novel? Because Tim O'Brien loved to be very crafty with everything he wrote, and the little distractions were perfect to stray us from what was really going on.
I enjoyed reading this book because of the suspense on every page there was so many different possibilities to the book that it was impossible to not want to keep going to see what really happened and how John takes care of himself throughout the book with his mental issues. Without the suspense i feel like the book would lead to kinda a boring plot because you don’t know what’s next whether or not John killed Kathy or Did she drown in a boat accident or did she straight up just leave. I also think his PTSD is probably the best part in the book that people can relate because many people probably know relatives or friends who have served in war which is also why i liked the book the war pages gave you great images in your head that you can really see how John was traumatized.
Overall I think In the Lake of the Woods was an interesting novel and enjoyable read for the most part. I liked the whole mystery of Kathy disappearing. I thought it was unique how there was all the evidence/ quotes from people which made it feel like you were part of the investigation. I think it was also interesting how O’Brien used John's character as a way to show how traumatic the Vietnam War was. On the other hand, some things I didn’t enjoy about this book was that it kind of seemed like it took forever to get to the main point of the story and given the fact that it is a fiction story, I felt as though there could’ve been more added in order to make it a little more interesting. There were a lot of times in the book where it seemed to drag on and get a little repetitive and I feel like there could have been more added to the mystery itself rather than just Kathy disappearing.
I think the novel was okay. The one thing I disliked most about In The Lake Of The Woods is that not much happens, even though the novel is over 300 pages long. The story progresses slowly because only about half of the book is in the present, the other half is 'Evidence' chapters, 'Hypothesis' chapters, and John's memories. However, the story itself is built off of the events of the past and how they shaped John into the person that he is. The chapters that don't take place in the present usually explain details that show why a character acts the way they do or are treated the way they are. This format for a novel is interesting, but causes the novel to progress slower which makes it not as gripping.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy reading this novel because I liked the plot and how the story was structured. The structure of the story was really good because it told a dual story of what happened in Vietnam and what was currently going on with Kathy's disappearance. The structure keeps the reader interested by not boring them with the same story drowning on throughout the book. The plot of the story is another reason this novel in a good read. The plot keeps the reader in the unknown about what happens to Kathy and hints at different possible situations through the hypothesis chapters. This keeps the reader thinking and as the Vietnam stories keep coming it only makes the readers interest in John's mental state and if he could have been involved in Kathy's disappearance. The first hypothesis chapter states “What happened, maybe, was that Kathy drowned”(O’Brien 111). This chapter goes on to state the possible situation of Kathy getting in a boating accident and drowning and paints a very real picture in the reader's mind of this situation. Which really makes the reader think is this what happened? Keeping the reader interested in searching for the answer to that question and wanting to read on to find out.
ReplyDeleteI had mixed feelings about In the Lake of the Woods. For me personally, I enjoy reading mystery books. In a way this book didn't exactly feel like a mystery book because of the different events going on in Johns life that were taking place. I feel like this book was more about learning about John then it was about finding his wife. That being said, I still enjoyed this book. It had a very unique plot that for the most part was engaging. Also the book was very easy to talk about in our book clubs because of all of the different aspects to the story. Some chapters will be about the investigation with Kathy, some will be about evidence about the disappearance of Kathy or some will be about John and either his childhood or his experiences in Vietnam.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree how it didn’t totally feel like a mystery story because John’s life story was kind of taking away from that. In a way though I almost think that getting a deeper look into John’s life helped us get a deeper understanding of why he is the way he is. And having a really good understanding of the characters helps when trying to figure out the mystery.
DeleteSo is it a mystery about Kathy's disappearance or is it a mystery about John discovering and uncovering himself? Consider what the mystery is really seeking to crack!
DeleteIn The Lake of The Woods by Tim O’Brien is a mystery as well as vietnam trauma story. I personally really liked the book, especially the fact that there was always something new to learn and piece together. There are a lot of things in the story that I would have never expected, and then there are things that I called from the beginning, and that makes the story really interesting and enjoyable to read. For example the book says: “Kathy got pretty scared sometimes. The detective act. The stuff you’d yellin your sleep. It gave her the heebie-jeebies.” (Tim O’Brien 185.) This is when Pat, Kathy’s sister, was talking to John about the possibilities Kathy could have just left to escape the thought of John. Moments like these I really liked in the story because I had a prediction from the beginning that Kathy actually did know about the spying and that it really creeped her out, leading to why she would randomly leave from time to time, almost to test him. That makes me wonder, if Kathy disappeared to test John? Let me know what you guys think. Another part of the story really liked were the plot twists, or the ‘no way’ moments. The book says: “‘Hey, Sorcerer,’ Weatherby said. The guy started to smile, but Sorcerer shot him anyway.” (Tim O’Brien 110.) This was a moment in the story where I was completely shocked, from the stories that were told about Weatherby and Sorcerer, they were very good pals, but the horror and destruction in Vietnam tricks the brain and bad things happen. The author included these little bits in the text, and it made the book way more enjoyable and hard to put down, I really liked the mystery aspect, and although I have not finished the book, I predict that Kathy left to escape the feeling of being near John and all the things she has not done with her life. However the book ends I am excited to find out, but from what I have read, Tim O’Brien crafted a wonderfully misleading and surprising novel.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything that you are saying here. This book is truly wonderful. Although I do not agree with your prediction. I have not yet finished the book either, and I believe that Kathy has gotten killed by John. If you think about it, John killed Weatherby without a thought, who says he did not kill Kathy, during one of his night rampages? Now your prediction could be true and maybe that is what happened, but I feel like John has killed Kathy and he does not remember it.
DeleteI liked all of the flashbacks because it really got us into John's mind. We could see where he was coming from and how screwed up he really was. I go back and forth between whether or not John killed Kathy or if Kathy just ran away. This book was really enjoyable for me to read too.
DeleteI also agree with all of your thoughts about this book. It was a very interesting and unique compilation of events and it never failed to hold suspense. One downside to that I found was that it could get kind of confusing and kind of jump around randomly which I was not a fan of. But all in all I am also excited to find out what the rest of this crazy novel has in store at the end.
DeleteI did enjoy reading this book. Although it was a little confusing it was good. I have not finished the book but I can tell that the novel was good. I liked how the mystery is set up to confuse us. It is set up in a way that it leads us one way then tells us something else. At one point in the text they tell us more of John’s memory of the night he burned the plants. The text states, “At one point, he remembered, her eyelids snapped open” (188). This is a way that the text confuses us to make us believe that John did something to Kathy. Throughout the whole book I have thought back and forth between John killing Kathy, and Kathy leaving. This part in the book made me think differently which is why I love the book. It doesn’t tell us what happened right away. Actually I do not know if it ever tells us, which if the book doesn’t tell us I will not like the book as much. Only because the book is a mystery book and if it didn’t reveal the mystery that would suck. All in all right now I love the book and I enjoyed reading it. I am glad that this is my book club book.
ReplyDeleteI haven't finished the novel either, but I'm hoping we get closure regarding what actually happened to Kathy. Did she pick up and leave or did John murder her? I agree with your reasons for liking this book.
DeleteI agree with you on how the book was a little confusing with all of the many possibility's of who killed who or if Kathy just disappeared which really kept you on your toes wanting to keep reading and find out what really happened
DeleteYes the mystery is awesome in the way that it sets us up for confusion. I think it is very interesting how you say that John killed Kathy, and after thinking about and analyzing your evidence, I totally agree with that. John over time definitely destroyed the Kathy that he originally fell in love with way back when.
DeleteI did enjoy reading this novel. I felt it kept me on my toes and the ongoing mystery made me want to keep reading. The conflict between John and Kathy has been really interesting to follow. This book forces the readers to think, analyze John’s behavior, and predict what actually happened. I had a love/hate relationship with the somewhat vagueness of this book. For example, “A sense of pre-memory washed over him. Things had happened here. Things said, things done. He squatted down, brushed a hand across the dirt floor, and put the hand to his nose. The smell gave him pause. … He sniffed his hand again, then shook his head. The dank odor revived facts he did not wish to revive” (188). At this point in the book we still have no idea what is going on and a chunk of text like this only makes us think more. While I like that it makes me want to read more, it’s also frustrating not getting closure when I want closure. Overall, I enjoyed this novel.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the fact that it does not give enough information. It was hard to read at times when it gave us information on a topic, but then did not give more until later in the book. At times you can miss something that happened because of how spread out the information is. There were many times I did not know what the novel was talking about, but like you I still really like the novel. I agree that the book is good, it is always hard to put down because we want to figure out what happens next.
DeleteTotally, the book always seemed to show us the end and call it a day, and then boom the novel continues. I can agree with that fact that the book was frustrating at some points, because it most certainly was. Do you think that the book was written this way to almost make us forget about what was truly important in the novel? Because Tim O'Brien loved to be very crafty with everything he wrote, and the little distractions were perfect to stray us from what was really going on.
DeleteI enjoyed reading this book because of the suspense on every page there was so many different possibilities to the book that it was impossible to not want to keep going to see what really happened and how John takes care of himself throughout the book with his mental issues. Without the suspense i feel like the book would lead to kinda a boring plot because you don’t know what’s next whether or not John killed Kathy or Did she drown in a boat accident or did she straight up just leave. I also think his PTSD is probably the best part in the book that people can relate because many people probably know relatives or friends who have served in war which is also why i liked the book the war pages gave you great images in your head that you can really see how John was traumatized.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOverall I think In the Lake of the Woods was an interesting novel and enjoyable read for the most part. I liked the whole mystery of Kathy disappearing. I thought it was unique how there was all the evidence/ quotes from people which made it feel like you were part of the investigation. I think it was also interesting how O’Brien used John's character as a way to show how traumatic the Vietnam War was. On the other hand, some things I didn’t enjoy about this book was that it kind of seemed like it took forever to get to the main point of the story and given the fact that it is a fiction story, I felt as though there could’ve been more added in order to make it a little more interesting. There were a lot of times in the book where it seemed to drag on and get a little repetitive and I feel like there could have been more added to the mystery itself rather than just Kathy disappearing.
ReplyDelete