My book club recently discussed its October selection - Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff. I hosted this month, and as host, I suggested three potential books, from which the group voted to select one. Out of the many books that we have read over the nearly eight years that the book club has been in existence, I have found that the books that I suggest are often the ones that I like the least. I think that it has something to do with the fact that I suggest books that I am excited about and anxious to read, creating high expectations that are difficult to meet. When a book I am unexcited about is selected, I have low expectations, which are often exceeded.

At first, this book seemed to be no exception. It was readable, sure, but I was not really into the characters. The book tells the story of Lotto and Mathilde and their 24-year marriage. The book begins with Lotto's perspective and the second half features Mathilde's perspective. I did find the differences between their memories and views of the shared events in their life to be interesting. In this regard, the book reminded me a lot of Showtime's The Affair, which also trades character viewpoints. The show, and the book, remind us that not only do we remember the actions of others through our own perspectives, but we also remember and view our own actions and behaviors that way. Often, our feelings for someone, good or bad, are wrapped up in the way that person makes us feel about ourselves.

Clockwise from L to R: Greek salad (with olives and Feta on the side), gigandes, baklava, spanakopita, melitzanosalata, taramosalata, and pita.

I chose not to review this book before hosting book club and I am glad that I did. After indulging in a Greek feast to go along with our modern Greek tragedy, we had a very robust discussion about the overall story, the characters and their viewpoints and our thoughts about what the author was trying to communicate. This book has been lauded by the critics and was chosen as the latest Morning Edition Book Club pick on NPR, and I can understand why. The two, often disparate viewpoints mean that there is a lot to discuss, and through our discussion, I ended up with a greater appreciation for the book. I was also reminded that I don't have to love a book or its characters to get something out of it, and I ultimately got a lot out of Fates and Furies. And, of course, it gave us the excuse to have a Greek feast!