Hi all!

Welcome back to the bookclub! In September, we read Penpal by Dathan Auerbach for The You’ll Read Too Bookclub! Spoilers ahead!

Quick Reminder: This month we are reading ‘Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives’ by Adam Cesare! You’re also welcome to read ‘Clown in a Cornfield‘, as this is a special, double-issue event!  

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!

PENPAL BY DATHAN AUERBACH – SEPTEMBER 2022

PLOT SUMMARY

A man investigates the seemingly unrelated bizarre, tragic, and horrific occurrences of his childhood, in an attempt to finally understand them. Beginning with only fragments of his earliest years, you’ll follow the narrator as he discovers these strange and horrible events, are actually part of a single terrifying story that has shaped the entirety of his life and the lives of those around him.

OVERALL STAR RATING

I gave this book a whopping 5/5 stars! It’s my second favourite read of 2022. The first being Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel. The story drew me in from the very first page and wouldn’t let go. I was mesmerised. I kept trying to piece the character’s life events together, despite the fact it wasn’t told in a linear way. It was disturbing, deeply sad and unsettling. I could easily see it being adapted to screen. 

OVERALL SCARE-FACTOR RATING

I gave it a scare-factor rating of 5/5 stars. Before I picked it up, I read it was one of the scariest books from the last few years. I have to agree. The storytelling was so effective in that it only got more and more disturbing as it went along. I couldn’t believe how intense the reading experience was.

DISCUSSION TOPICS 

1.) Why do you think we never learned the protagonist’s name?

Some fans have dubbed the narrator “Dathan”, after the author, but it was never confirmed by the writer himself. I believe we didn’t learn his name because it added to the horror. It made him harder to picture in my opinion. The story was already told in such a foggy, blurry manner, the absence of the name only deepened the disturbing elements. What are your theories?

2.) Was the balloon activity a good idea? How could it be made safer? 

The balloon activity was a good idea – in theory. However, as we saw, it paved the way for predators to strike. It would have been better addressing the letters to children from other schools. Teachers should also scan the correspondence as it came in, before giving it to the child. The balloons could have been released with notes for strangers to find (without a return address) but the issue with that is, a stalker could be watching it happen from afar, defeating the penpal purpose. 

3.) Do you like the way the story was told in snapshots? Why/why not? 

Yes. The way it was told contributed highly to its five-star rating. A child does not remember their life in a linear way, especially if deep trauma is involved. It was narrated in a very realistic manner. We weren’t meant to piece the puzzle together. However, we were meant to be confused. The author knew readers didn’t need an exact timeline to figure out what was happening. They just needed enough details to unnerve and disturb them.

TRIVIA QUESTIONS

Easy: What was the shape of the pool floatie? 

Medium: What movie did Veronica go see with the main character?

Hard: What question did the main character ask everybody as a child? 

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: Shark. Medium: Day of the Dead. Hard: ‘How far can you go into the woods?’