BKMT READING GUIDES
Where the Lake Becomes the River
by Kate Betterton
Hardcover : 368 pages
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Introduction
Growing up amidst Mississippi's racial tensions, Parrish McCullough is shadowed by secrets and haunted by spirits. She wrestles with “The Truth About Life After Death” after her father dies, and she sees his ghost sitting beside his casket. Parrish is a gifted artist who desperately hopes to leave small-town life for a career in art-but there's no money. She fears her mother will lapse into madness if she goes, and she keeps getting distracted by the wrong kind of man. When Civil Rights workers arrive in Mississippi, Parrish takes a chance that sends her onto the razor's edge between living and dying, learns of the soul's survival-and finds an unexpected romance. Lush, vivid and wildly entertaining, Where the Lake Becomes the River brings to life an unforgettable extended Southern family, along with its dreams, its disappointments-and, yes, even its beloved ghosts. "Homespun and profound, deadpan and poetic, hilarious and heartbreaking."(--Joseph Bathanti); "Delectable, unforgettable...a current of gorgeous prose and irresistible storytelling that will sweep you away."(--Pamela Duncan); "Great tenderness...swagger and sass." (--Virginia Holman); "Lush as a house covered in kudzu...as mysterious as creatures swimming unseen in a cool, dark, southern pond."(--Nancy Peacock)
Excerpt
Okay, relax; I've got you. Look up. That's the Big Dipper-followDaddy's hand. See? The handle and the bowl: you've got your first
constellation. Aren't the stars beautiful? Now make a wish.
--Walt McCullough, backyard star seminar
Mama's like a woman hosting a garden party and there's a coiled copperhead about to strike her foot through her dye-matched slipper, but she either can't see it, or she'd rather be bitten than make a scene. The snake in the grass is my sister Sally's fiancé Glenn, who's hell-bent on seducing me. ...
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Discussion Questions
1. How does her encounter with the giant snake effect Parrish? She confronts Willard Krups, but he's not likely to change. Does anyone benefit from her actions? What might the pink boat cushion symbolize?2. How do the McCulloughs and Hiroshi Takashima benefit from their friendship? Why does he give Sally objects to give Parrish when she leaves for college, with his blessing?
3. What draws Harvey to Etta Fae, and she to him? Why does Walt risk so much to protect them? What leads to Officer Crawford's attitude shift? Can we entirely free ourselves from racism, or is this an ongoing, lifelong process?
4. Parrish believes “No one ever gets away with anything-what you do to others will be done to you.” Do you agree that a “Higher Justice” will ensure that the men who were so horrifically cruel to Parrish's cat and Harvey's dog will eventually get their just rewards?
5. After Walt dies, Grace appears to be going mad. Is she? How does grief manifest in the children? What role does art play in Parrish's life? What do Louise and Grace gain from their nightly “checking” ritual? What frees Parrish from the need to keep “checking?”
6. Many extraordinary events occur in this book, especially centering around Parrish. Have you experienced any “paranormal” events? Why does our culture deny such metaphysical aspects of reality?
7. Parrish fights a valiant battle, over a number of years, against her stepfather's abuse, and triumphs in the end. --Or does she? She blames herself for Lucien's death. Is her guilt justified? What does Parrish learn from Zanda's struggle to free herself from her own father's control? Did Zanda pull McBride off-balance? If so, was she wrong to do this?
8. What makes Robbie vulnerable to the “Lost Boy's ghost?” What does Parrish mean by, “Maybe we were playing 'Get the Guest' with Robbie after all, and just didn't realize it?”
9. Why does Parrish find Cam very familiar--more than a new friendship would seem to warrant? Why does Cam betray Parrish in New Orleans? She forgives him. Would you?
10. Why do you think Jake Harper holds back with Parrish, although it's clear there's something he wants to tell her? Why does Parrish fail to see Jake for who he really is?
11. What questions posed earlier in the book are answered in the final chapter? Why won't Grace discuss with Walt what happened to Birdie? Grace keeps Walt's family's unusual legacy a secret for many years. Should she have told her children about it earlier?
12. Parrish explores many religions and philosophies, trying to understand death, regain her lost spirituality, and redefine her beliefs. After her hospital experience, what does she believe is “the truth about life after death?” What do you believe happens when we die?
Notes From the Author to the Bookclub
Years ago, I was in a terrible car wreck that brought me right to the edge between living and dying. Recovering, I thought, “Someday I’ll write about this wreck.” Much later, I wrote a piece about someone who “wakes back up” after dying and going to Heaven. This story, with its barely-mentioned “car wreck,” became the final chapter of WHERE THE LAKE BECOMES THE RIVER, and gave the novel its underlying theme: the thin line between this world and the next. It seems that we can sometimes cross over that line and return, through unusual experiences, and in our dreams. My heroine, Parrish McCullough, grows up in a household stuffed with secrets. She’s haunted by her father’s spirit--and other, more ominous ghosts. The book involves her family, loves, and challenges, but at its core is Parrish’s struggle to understand “The Truth About Life After Death.” This enigma has haunted her since childhood, when her father died but seemed to remain nearby, intent on delivering a crucial message from beyond the grave--just the beginning of a series of extraordinary paranormal events. At some point, for most of us, someone we love will step through the doorway we call “death." I hope readers will find Parrish’s adventures wildly entertaining, but also gain, perhaps, an expanded context for what that passage may mean--and a measure of comfort from sharing Parrish’s glimpses of immortality.Book Club Recommendations
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