Hi all!

Welcome back to the bookclub! In October, we read The Summoning by J.P. Smith for The You’ll Read Too Bookclub! Spoilers ahead!

Quick Reminder: This month we are reading ‘Wonderland’ by Jennifer Hillier.

Today I’m going to give a quick plot summary, plus my overall star/scare-factor ratings. Then I will share the discussion topics and trivia questions. Please include all of your answers and opinions down below. I want to know exactly what you thought. I’ll also leave the answers to the trivia questions at the very bottom of the post. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

THE SUMMONING by J.P. SMITH – OCTOBER 2021 

PLOT SUMMARY 

Every year, as the anniversary of 9/11 inches closer on the calendar, Kit Capriol scans the memorials published in the New York Times. It’s a simple thing to look up a name and phone number, reaching out to surviving family members, who might still be yearning for connection with their lost loved one. After her husband went down in the north tower, Kit scraped by as an actress, barely supporting herself and her daughter. But now, Zoey is in the hospital, bills are due, and the acting work has dried up. Becoming a medium is almost too easy for someone used to pretending for a living  – and desperate clients aren’t hard to come by. Now, though, something has changed. The seances Kit holds in her apartment are starting to feel unsettlingly real, and the intriguing man she met at a local bar, could be more complicated than he seems. As the voices of the dead grow louder in her head and the walls of her apartment close in, Kit realizes that despite her daughter’s absence, she hasn’t been quite as alone as she thought.

OVERALL STAR RATING

I reviewed this book in my wrap-up for the Breath of the Wild Readathon (click here). I enjoyed this story, but it did not go in the direction I was expecting. It was definitely more of a thriller, than a horror. It’s important to go into it, not anticipating something really scary. It’s also worth mentioning strong trigger warnings for gas-lighting and stalking. Go gently – this book has some dark content, but not in the way you would expect. I don’t want to say too much more. Check it out and make up your own mind. I gave it 4/5 stars. It was really well written. 

OVERALL SCARE-FACTOR RATING

As mentioned above, this is not a horror novel. It has some slightly chilling moments, but if you’re looking to be spooked, this is not the book for you. I gave it a scare-factor rating of 1/5 stars.  

DISCUSSION TOPICS

1.) It is difficult to discern what is real and what isn’t. Did Kit ever actually experience anything supernatural? Why/why not?

I think she did. Especially at the end, when she became a ghost. A re-read will probably reveal that a lot of what she experienced when she was alive, was gas-lighting from David. It does seem apparent however, that Kit possesses natural clairvoyant abilities, despite starting out as a fraud. The ending also suggests that Kit wandered through the realms of her daughter’s future, without realising it. 

2.) Do you think Kit made her clients lives better or was she committing an unspeakably evil service?

Honestly, I’m on the fence. As mentioned above, it does seem like she had naturally psychic abilities, but she didn’t begin that way. On one hand, she brought a lot of solace to her clients. On the other, she was playing with their emotions, feeding them false information, in order to make money. It certainly sounds immoral, but I am still torn. 

3.) Why do you believe there is a recurring theme of people falling onto the train tracks in this book? 

I don’t know if the train tracks themselves are of any significance, but there is a clear pattern of death and rebirth. Zoey witnesses a violent murder, pushing her into a realm between consciousness and unconsciousness. David’s previous victim was able to help Kit realise what was happening to her. Tony, who is causing issues for Kit, succumbs to the same violent fate. There is something almost karmically cyclical about the whole thing. 

TRIVIA QUESTIONS

Easy: How long was Zoey in a coma for?

Medium: What piece of music does Kit keep hearing on the piano?

Hard: What was the name of David’s ‘supposed’ former high-school? 

I hope you enjoyed the book club discussion. As mentioned above, share all of your thoughts in the comments below! If you have any feedback/suggestions to improve the bookclub, please let me know. I look forward to talking to you all next month! Thanks for reading!

Peace & Love xoxo

TRIVIA ANSWERS: Easy: 3 years. Medium: Moonlight Sonata. Hard: North Rockland High.