These are the Discussion Questions that are listed in the back of the book and... I thought I'd answer them here! Spoilers!
1) "Discuss the Structure of You. What's the effect of hearing about Beck from Joe's point of view? As you get to know Joe better, do you trust his narration? Why or why not?"
Joe was too biased and idealized his relationship with Beck and Beck's feelings and interest in him. She uses her credit card to pay and Joe assumes its just because she wants him to know her name... when I'm pretty sure it was just because Beck had no cash. It's an interesting approach to see how he talks about beck... but we definitely learn more about Joe from the narration than we learn about Beck.
2) " Before Caroline Kepnes wrote You she worked as a writer on several television series, including The Secret Life of The American Teenager and Seventh Heaven. How do you think Kepnes's previous work influenced her writing? Did any scenes in You strike you as particularly cinematic? Which ones and why? Who would you cast in the roles of Beck and Joe?"
I think the cage made for the most cinematic moments in the book. When Benji was testing the sodas, I could totally picture that and when Beck was in the cage... it was exciting and dramatic and you could see it play out. I think the casting in the tv show is really great... but I could also see someone like Evan Peters or Shia Lebouf as Joe... and sticking with the American Horror Story theme... I could see Billy Lourde as beck. The Beck in the Netflix show is perfect though- she seems like a girl that everyone finds irresistible without her really trying.
3) " Booklist called You 'A Deeply dark yet mesmerizing first novel of 2 people caught in a romantic tangle with an ever tightening knot' Discuss Beck and Joe's relationship. What do you think they saw in each other?"
Joe seems to look for girls that are kind of unique. He wouldn't have fallen for any of Beck's friends mentioned in the book because they were a little too typical... but I think he liked the complicatedness of Beck. He's first attracted to her because she picks out a book from one of his favorite authors... but becomes more and more obsessed when he realizes he can't have her. And I think he likes that he thinks he can control Beck. I think Beck falls for Joe because he's almost a combo of the two types of people Beck likes being around. Beck likes people like Peach and Dr. Nicky because they are obsessed with her and she loves the attention that she can get from them... but she also falls for guys like Benji who really want nothing to do with her as far as a relationship goes. I think she knows that she can leave Joe and feel nothing, but he'll be there waiting for her to come back whenever she does.
4) " Of Benji, Chana says, ' You can buy him all the books in the world and he's still gonna be Benji.' ( P. 33) What does Chana mean by that statement? Did you think Benji was a good friend to Beck? Explain your answer. "
Benji wouldn't have read any of the books Beck read for him... so he obviously wouldn't have gained anything from them anyway! Benji is a very static character, he puts on this facade as a man that has conquered a drug addiction... but at the end of the book we see that he is still doing drugs. I don't think Benji was a good friend to Beck at all. I don't think he would have warned Beck about Joe if he had escaped the cage either... so really Beck just doesn't have very good friends.
5) "When Joe meets Beck, he's instantly smitten, not least because of her book choices. What books is Beck purchasing and what does Joe think that says about her? What were your initial impressions of Beck? Did your opinion of her change?If so, Why?"
Joe really liked her choices... but there's kind of a theme of people not actually reading anything that they said that they've read... besides Joe I'm assuming... so I think she's a little bit more phony than I originally thought she was. I think she's still a smart young writer... but she does lie about a lot of her life... and Joe is kind of discovering her lies through the book as we are... and then at the end I think she's actually the most authentic.
6) "Joe is continuously self conscious about his education and personal background. How, if at all, does his lack of a college degree effect his narrative voice?"
I feel like he judges people that are educated or based off how educated he thinks they are. His education is mostly based off of books, movies, songs and his time working with Mr. Mooney... so he kind of doesn't understand when people haven't read books when they've been in college... he doesn't really understand how people don't have much experience working... and it seems like he really doesn't understand what education is because his version of "educating" people is much harsher and not effective.
7) "Beck tells her friend Peach that she loves the movie Magnolia, Peach tells her that the movie is flawed. When Joe attempts to bond with Beck over their shared love of the movie, she takes Peach's position. Is Beck using her own position to gain power, or is she just young and figuring herself out?"
I'm pretty certain that Beck is using her position to gain power... and I think she knows that that is what Peach was doing also. Beck knows the power Peach has over people where everyone is just sort of automatically below Peach... so Beck does the same to kind of keep Joe below her.
8) "When Joe escorts Beck to Ikea, he is disgruntled that it is not like it is in the movie (500) Days of Summer. This is one of several instances where Joe is upset by the disparities between real life and movies. Were there movies you wanted to see to enhance your reading of the book? And do You relate to Joe at all?"
I wish I had seen the music video Joe mentioned to the therapist while reading the book. I just thought that was a good detail that Joe could read this therapist and he definitely played him with this little detail. Plus... it was a nice way to foreshadow that Joe and the Therapist were both obsessed with Beck.
I feel like I can relate to Joe because... everyone wants Ikea to be something more than it is! It's mostly couples arguing instead of cute couples making out on the furniture.
9) "Joe is Devastated when he realizes that Beck was not reading The Da Vinci Code along with him. Discuss reading as a shared experience. Do you prefer to read alone, or share your progress on Goodreads."
I like loaning books to my friends or my boyfriend... I actually don't have You right now to fact check because I loaned it to my boyfriend lol. I like talking about books after... and it's like seeing a movie but there's a little more effort to finishing a book than a movie... so I feel like we get more out of reading as a shared experience than watching a movie or tv show together.
10) "In Karen Minty, Joe finds someone who is fully available, but she is not his dream girl. Do you think Joe would have been better off trying to make it work with Karen Minty?"
No. I don't think anyone could be happy watching that much King of Queens. I'm kidding! I think Karen was a better person than Beck and she was better for Joe than Beck... but Joe loved Beck and he really couldn't hold an interest with Karen. Karen also does deserve better... so I'm glad he didn't make it work with her... but Joe would have been content with her I think.
11) "Joe is frustrated that Beck can't make it through an intimate date without tweeting about it. Joe monitors Beck through her online activity, but he does not participate in any of it. Both are extreme reactions to our increasingly connected lifestyle? How do you find balance in your own life?"
I've been reading a lot more lately. I get an hour lunch break at my job and I try to spend that reading instead of scrolling through my phone... that being said- I'm having a hard time typing this because my phone isn't right next to me and I want to check it... and this week I haven't picked up the book I was reading at all on my lunch and I just looked at my phone for the hour... so that's kind of a slip up... but hopefully I can get back on track lol.
12) "Joe thinks of murder as an act of compassion, euthanasia for unhappy people. Joe interacts with the police on 2 separate occasions, but he is never arrested or charged. How does it feel to read a book with so much crime and so little punishment administered by the police?"
It is somewhat dissatisfying because I do want Joe to get caught for his wrongdoings. On the other hand- you can see how Joe is a charming guy that gets away with these things. Ethan and Karen Minty are both good people that actually like and trust Joe... so it is kind of hard to believe that he's so terrible.
13) "Early readers and reviewers have said that reading you changes the way they think about talking to strangers and sharing information online. Did you change your passwords when you finished? Do you feel more wary of strangers, online or off?"
I try not to have too too much information about me online... so I feel okay online... but offline is a little scarier because you really can't trust people and I feel like the nicer someone is the less you can trust them.
14) "In the end, Joe says that people are destined to read a book in bed with a loved one and others are destined to be alone. Do you think this is true?"
I think people's experiences and choices determine what they do more so than "destiny." Joe wasn't really destined to be alone, he just killed both of the women he loved... "Destiny" is his way of forgiving himself.
15) "Joe feels that Benji is a better person because of his time in the cage. Throughout the book, Joe speaks well of his own time imprisoned in that cage. In the movie Ruthless People, Bette Midler's character is kidnapped and she emerges as a stronger person. Discuss incarceration in storytelling. Did you ever hope that Joe would let Benji or Beck go?"
Yes, I really wanted Beck to live. I think I wanted her to escape and get the cops to arrest Joe more than I wanted Joe to set her free. I wanted Joe to be held responsible for his actions. Incarceration is such an important part of the story because Joe should incarcerated and Benji and Beck really shouldn't have been.
16) "How is New York a character in the book? Do you think it would be harder for Joe to follow Beck in a smaller town?"
It probably would have been harder for Joe in a smaller town or the suburbs. New York is very open and people can do very crazy things without anyone noticing. Plus a lot of suburban homes would probably have more security and maybe curtains so Joe wouldn't be able to break in or to watch Beck.
17) "When you finished reading did you hope that Joe might get away with murder and find love? Or do you like to think that somehow, some way he will be held responsible for his actions?"
I mentioned a few times that I want Joe to be held responsible for his actions. I think that's the frustrating thing about the format of this book... because Joe is the protagonist and you do want to root for him... but he's such a bad person and I did feel connected to Beck because we were reading the story as Joe's Manifesto to her more or less... so it's just kind of a lot of back and forth.
Alright I hope you guys liked my answers here! I still haven't finished the tv show... but I need to do that and let you know how I feel.
Bye!
-Shannon
1) "Discuss the Structure of You. What's the effect of hearing about Beck from Joe's point of view? As you get to know Joe better, do you trust his narration? Why or why not?"
Joe was too biased and idealized his relationship with Beck and Beck's feelings and interest in him. She uses her credit card to pay and Joe assumes its just because she wants him to know her name... when I'm pretty sure it was just because Beck had no cash. It's an interesting approach to see how he talks about beck... but we definitely learn more about Joe from the narration than we learn about Beck.
2) " Before Caroline Kepnes wrote You she worked as a writer on several television series, including The Secret Life of The American Teenager and Seventh Heaven. How do you think Kepnes's previous work influenced her writing? Did any scenes in You strike you as particularly cinematic? Which ones and why? Who would you cast in the roles of Beck and Joe?"
I think the cage made for the most cinematic moments in the book. When Benji was testing the sodas, I could totally picture that and when Beck was in the cage... it was exciting and dramatic and you could see it play out. I think the casting in the tv show is really great... but I could also see someone like Evan Peters or Shia Lebouf as Joe... and sticking with the American Horror Story theme... I could see Billy Lourde as beck. The Beck in the Netflix show is perfect though- she seems like a girl that everyone finds irresistible without her really trying.
3) " Booklist called You 'A Deeply dark yet mesmerizing first novel of 2 people caught in a romantic tangle with an ever tightening knot' Discuss Beck and Joe's relationship. What do you think they saw in each other?"
Joe seems to look for girls that are kind of unique. He wouldn't have fallen for any of Beck's friends mentioned in the book because they were a little too typical... but I think he liked the complicatedness of Beck. He's first attracted to her because she picks out a book from one of his favorite authors... but becomes more and more obsessed when he realizes he can't have her. And I think he likes that he thinks he can control Beck. I think Beck falls for Joe because he's almost a combo of the two types of people Beck likes being around. Beck likes people like Peach and Dr. Nicky because they are obsessed with her and she loves the attention that she can get from them... but she also falls for guys like Benji who really want nothing to do with her as far as a relationship goes. I think she knows that she can leave Joe and feel nothing, but he'll be there waiting for her to come back whenever she does.
4) " Of Benji, Chana says, ' You can buy him all the books in the world and he's still gonna be Benji.' ( P. 33) What does Chana mean by that statement? Did you think Benji was a good friend to Beck? Explain your answer. "
Benji wouldn't have read any of the books Beck read for him... so he obviously wouldn't have gained anything from them anyway! Benji is a very static character, he puts on this facade as a man that has conquered a drug addiction... but at the end of the book we see that he is still doing drugs. I don't think Benji was a good friend to Beck at all. I don't think he would have warned Beck about Joe if he had escaped the cage either... so really Beck just doesn't have very good friends.
5) "When Joe meets Beck, he's instantly smitten, not least because of her book choices. What books is Beck purchasing and what does Joe think that says about her? What were your initial impressions of Beck? Did your opinion of her change?If so, Why?"
Joe really liked her choices... but there's kind of a theme of people not actually reading anything that they said that they've read... besides Joe I'm assuming... so I think she's a little bit more phony than I originally thought she was. I think she's still a smart young writer... but she does lie about a lot of her life... and Joe is kind of discovering her lies through the book as we are... and then at the end I think she's actually the most authentic.
6) "Joe is continuously self conscious about his education and personal background. How, if at all, does his lack of a college degree effect his narrative voice?"
I feel like he judges people that are educated or based off how educated he thinks they are. His education is mostly based off of books, movies, songs and his time working with Mr. Mooney... so he kind of doesn't understand when people haven't read books when they've been in college... he doesn't really understand how people don't have much experience working... and it seems like he really doesn't understand what education is because his version of "educating" people is much harsher and not effective.
7) "Beck tells her friend Peach that she loves the movie Magnolia, Peach tells her that the movie is flawed. When Joe attempts to bond with Beck over their shared love of the movie, she takes Peach's position. Is Beck using her own position to gain power, or is she just young and figuring herself out?"
I'm pretty certain that Beck is using her position to gain power... and I think she knows that that is what Peach was doing also. Beck knows the power Peach has over people where everyone is just sort of automatically below Peach... so Beck does the same to kind of keep Joe below her.
8) "When Joe escorts Beck to Ikea, he is disgruntled that it is not like it is in the movie (500) Days of Summer. This is one of several instances where Joe is upset by the disparities between real life and movies. Were there movies you wanted to see to enhance your reading of the book? And do You relate to Joe at all?"
I wish I had seen the music video Joe mentioned to the therapist while reading the book. I just thought that was a good detail that Joe could read this therapist and he definitely played him with this little detail. Plus... it was a nice way to foreshadow that Joe and the Therapist were both obsessed with Beck.
I feel like I can relate to Joe because... everyone wants Ikea to be something more than it is! It's mostly couples arguing instead of cute couples making out on the furniture.
9) "Joe is Devastated when he realizes that Beck was not reading The Da Vinci Code along with him. Discuss reading as a shared experience. Do you prefer to read alone, or share your progress on Goodreads."
I like loaning books to my friends or my boyfriend... I actually don't have You right now to fact check because I loaned it to my boyfriend lol. I like talking about books after... and it's like seeing a movie but there's a little more effort to finishing a book than a movie... so I feel like we get more out of reading as a shared experience than watching a movie or tv show together.
10) "In Karen Minty, Joe finds someone who is fully available, but she is not his dream girl. Do you think Joe would have been better off trying to make it work with Karen Minty?"
No. I don't think anyone could be happy watching that much King of Queens. I'm kidding! I think Karen was a better person than Beck and she was better for Joe than Beck... but Joe loved Beck and he really couldn't hold an interest with Karen. Karen also does deserve better... so I'm glad he didn't make it work with her... but Joe would have been content with her I think.
11) "Joe is frustrated that Beck can't make it through an intimate date without tweeting about it. Joe monitors Beck through her online activity, but he does not participate in any of it. Both are extreme reactions to our increasingly connected lifestyle? How do you find balance in your own life?"
I've been reading a lot more lately. I get an hour lunch break at my job and I try to spend that reading instead of scrolling through my phone... that being said- I'm having a hard time typing this because my phone isn't right next to me and I want to check it... and this week I haven't picked up the book I was reading at all on my lunch and I just looked at my phone for the hour... so that's kind of a slip up... but hopefully I can get back on track lol.
12) "Joe thinks of murder as an act of compassion, euthanasia for unhappy people. Joe interacts with the police on 2 separate occasions, but he is never arrested or charged. How does it feel to read a book with so much crime and so little punishment administered by the police?"
It is somewhat dissatisfying because I do want Joe to get caught for his wrongdoings. On the other hand- you can see how Joe is a charming guy that gets away with these things. Ethan and Karen Minty are both good people that actually like and trust Joe... so it is kind of hard to believe that he's so terrible.
13) "Early readers and reviewers have said that reading you changes the way they think about talking to strangers and sharing information online. Did you change your passwords when you finished? Do you feel more wary of strangers, online or off?"
I try not to have too too much information about me online... so I feel okay online... but offline is a little scarier because you really can't trust people and I feel like the nicer someone is the less you can trust them.
14) "In the end, Joe says that people are destined to read a book in bed with a loved one and others are destined to be alone. Do you think this is true?"
I think people's experiences and choices determine what they do more so than "destiny." Joe wasn't really destined to be alone, he just killed both of the women he loved... "Destiny" is his way of forgiving himself.
15) "Joe feels that Benji is a better person because of his time in the cage. Throughout the book, Joe speaks well of his own time imprisoned in that cage. In the movie Ruthless People, Bette Midler's character is kidnapped and she emerges as a stronger person. Discuss incarceration in storytelling. Did you ever hope that Joe would let Benji or Beck go?"
Yes, I really wanted Beck to live. I think I wanted her to escape and get the cops to arrest Joe more than I wanted Joe to set her free. I wanted Joe to be held responsible for his actions. Incarceration is such an important part of the story because Joe should incarcerated and Benji and Beck really shouldn't have been.
16) "How is New York a character in the book? Do you think it would be harder for Joe to follow Beck in a smaller town?"
It probably would have been harder for Joe in a smaller town or the suburbs. New York is very open and people can do very crazy things without anyone noticing. Plus a lot of suburban homes would probably have more security and maybe curtains so Joe wouldn't be able to break in or to watch Beck.
17) "When you finished reading did you hope that Joe might get away with murder and find love? Or do you like to think that somehow, some way he will be held responsible for his actions?"
I mentioned a few times that I want Joe to be held responsible for his actions. I think that's the frustrating thing about the format of this book... because Joe is the protagonist and you do want to root for him... but he's such a bad person and I did feel connected to Beck because we were reading the story as Joe's Manifesto to her more or less... so it's just kind of a lot of back and forth.
Alright I hope you guys liked my answers here! I still haven't finished the tv show... but I need to do that and let you know how I feel.
Bye!
-Shannon
Comments
Post a Comment