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June 20, 2005

Thumbsucker: A Novel

Um, yeah...Thumbsucker. It's early in the week, so let's ease into it by talking about something near the beginning and give the late starters (usually me) a chance to catch up.

Justin Cobb is a teenage thumbsucker:

The effect when my thumb touched my lips was subtle and encompassing. Because I sometimes watched myself in a mirror, doubling my sense of self-communion, I knew how I looked at the moment of closure. Above my greedily flexing cheeks, my eyes would shine as though I'd just put drops in. My forehead would relax and lose its lines. From the rhythmic bullfrog swelling of my throat and the pulsing muscles along my jaw, it appeared I was actually taking nourishment. I believed I was.
He seems to be an odd boy. But is he really? If you take a close look at those around Justin, his oral fixation isn't very strange. His reality is filled with quirky characters like parents who insist on being called by their first names. His grandmother vomits everywhere and falls asleep behind the wheel of her Horizoneer while attempting to take Justin to New York. Justin's dentist is a pot-smoking hippie and his debate coach is a frustrated homosexual. And his girlfriends all have issues of their own.

What exactly is going on here with this wacky bunch? Did you enjoy their quirky antics or were they annoying? Remind you of anyone you know?



comments

Hi Guys,
I'm sad to say I can't join in on this one as the book doesn't seem to have come out over here (UK). Still, I'll be waiting for you in July with the Ghost Writer which I know I can get hold of.
Danny

Hello!

Feels good to join in on a discussion again.

Well, let's see.
Justin doesn't seem that odd to me. He just seems like a teenage boy that lacks a passion for anything, but sucking his thumb. Once that's taken away, then he really has no passion for anything. However, when he does start liking something, like his speech group and fly-fishing, it's almost obsessive. My question is, what is it that Justin has to substitute with his thumb-sucking? His parents? Yes, they went by their first names with their kids, which isn't very parental at all.

His grandmother was surreal. What a lady. I do like how her behavior is explained as a result of growing up Irish...or something like that.

Out of Mike and Audrey, I liked Audrey the least. In my opinion, even though Mike was harsh as a father, he was more of a father-figure than Audrey was a mother figure. I don't know...I just didn't like her.

Oh, I want to add one more thing:
I feel like I am scarred for life.
As soon as I started reading Thumbsucker, instead of seeing Justin, I kept seeing the kid from Running with Scissors. I tried REALLY hard to shake his character and image out of my head so that i could see Justin alone. I don't think I ever got him out fully.

I confess I didn't finish this one. I only got about twenty pages in before I decided it was just too wacky for me. I don't mind goofy characters or a crazy plot if I still care about the characters, but I just couldn't care about these guys.

Ana, it's funny you mention that, because I'm listening to the Running with Scissors audiobook, and the family there is similar. I like RwS, though, because it's true and therefore the goofiness isn't feigned.

Danny, looking forward to hearing from you next month. :)

Ana, I agree that Justin doesn't seem that odd, but I think my perspective of him is skewed by the characters around him. If he turned out to be one of my neighbors, though, I might try to steer clear of him.

Of the rest of the characters, I think I like Mike the most. His tireless training for sporting events and always coming in second to Perry Lyman made me chuckle. I also appreciated his selective amnesia regarding promises to Justin because I often play the same game with my students. (By the way, Keanu Reeves is playing Lyman in the movie version. Yum.)

Daisy, nothing wrong with putting down a book you don't enjoy. I couldn't get through the first chapter of If On a Winter's Night a Traveler.

Hmmm...yes, I couldn't shake the boy from RwS out of my head, mostly because he was so screwed up. Although, I don't think that the family is similar. The people in Thumbsucker aren't as screwed up as in RwS. These people are more sane! Instead I prefer Thumbsucker than RwS for the same reason you prefer RwS. I honestly liked Thumbsucker.

I couldn't really see the hyperactivity that Justin suffered from. I think that reflecting on the book, I may be able to see it. Maybe his thumbsucking was due to hyperactivity? Although, I don't think that's the reason.

I think Mike was one of the best characters. We mostly got to know more of Mike than any of the other family members. I wished there would've been said more of Joel. But little Joel exposure reflects how little Justin interacted with his younger brother.

Ana, I agree that the RwS crowd was way more insane, especially the Finches. Which is much worse since they're supposed to be based on real people. The TS wack pack is much more eccentric than insane.

I don't think Justin is hyperactive. The Ritalin was prescribed by Perry Lyman, his dentist. It's just another way his environment totures him.

This is my second time reading it, and I also noticed this time around that Joel is kind of a non-entity in Justin's telling of the story. I wonder if this is his subtle way of telling us that there isn't much to Joel other than sports.

LOL! I'd have to agree w/ some of you. this book lost me after about 30 or so pages, haven't touched it since.. talk about wacko!


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http://www.PDBooksOnline.com

Ah, so he wasn't hyperactive!
I didn't think he was.
Yeah, I guess Joel was nothing but sports...but what I did like about Joel is how he still wanted to live a life that included the outside world after the family converted into Mormonism. It shows that Joel was just another teenager, even if it was name brand clothing and high-class sports.

I really can't figure out why Justin was so passive about Mormonism. He didn't love it, but he also didn't hate it. I guess he just saw it as a savior that would bring his family together, a connection between them all.

Oh!...okay, I was really confused about this: what was Precious about??? What that Mike's way of saying that he was gay? Or what about when Justin and Mike switched characters in the cabin and Justin narrates that Precious suited him better, that he was actually at ease or comfortable as Precious. What was that all about?

As for the end...what a way to end the book. Talk about humor. I think the end is perfect for showing off the novel as a light and humorous, not to be taken seriously. It was perfect.

On another note...I don't know why some people keep commenting that Thumbsucker was confusing??? I really don't see how it could've been confusing...
As for WM's post, I don't see what's so wacko about Thumbsucker. RwS WAS wacko!

Ana, I'll reread the part with Precious as I get into bed tonight and maybe I'll be able to figure it out. I'll be back tomorrow on this one.

Joel certainly is just another teenager since high school is all about the sports and designer clothes. He's probably the only really normal character in the book. The fact that Justin doesn't interact with him is probably the author's way of showing us how removed Justin is from "normal" teens.

Speaking of the author, did you note that Walter Kirn is a book critic? A lot of times, critics are just frustrated writers. I have to give Kirn props because it's like he put his money where his mouth is (no pun intended). He critiques books but is also a pretty good writer himself.

yes, I read up on Waltern Kirn. I was impressed that he was a book critic and a good writer as well.

I like that explanation you give about Justin being removed from "normal" teens.

I also liked how Justin realized that he had to ditch Opal. By the way, I thought about Opal's name and it's interesting that the author chose that name, unless it really is a religious name, then I was definitely looking into it too much. An opal has the tendency to "change" different color depending on the light you put it against and the position of the stone. I think that represents how Opal was sort of ... two-faced. She changed to fit every guy's need...OR, in dreams, seeing an opal is referrence to your libido or sexual desires, meaning that you need more passion in your life (according to hyperdictionary.com).

There's a movie??? When is it due in theaters?? Who will play Justin?

just wanted to add:

Thanks for choosing Thumbsucker, Mary.

I really enjoyed it!

thanks for discussing my book. i've seen the movie and it's terrific -- which means a lot coming from me, because i sort of liked the book.

Wow! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment.

I really enjoyed Thumbsucker when I read it several years ago, and chose it for this discussion because of the movie. I'm planning on seeing it when it gets released and will probably share my thoughts on it here.

(Ana, I think the movie is supposed to come out in September and a newcomer is playing Justin. The rest of the cast is full of some of my favorites: Keanu Reeves as Perry Lyman, Vincent D'Onofrio as Mike Cobb, and Vince Vaughn as Mr. Geary. Tasty!)

Ana, I just also realized that I never got back to you on the Luscious (Precious) thing. Obviously, Mike is either crazy or still in the middle of his nervous breakdown at that point of the book. I don't think Mike is gay, but perhaps he was messing with Justin. Creating Leif and Luscious was a bonding moment that went too far and brought out Justin's jealousy of Mike.

That scene reminds me of my own father. He's incredibly annoying and will do and say exactly what he knows will get on your nerves. Mike seems to have a similar nature.

wow! what a surprise! thanks to walter kirn for leaving a comment! really cool.

well, mary, thanks for the info on the movie. i'm looking forward to it!

and, oh, so mike isn't gay. that part was confusing. thanks for clearing it up.

Ana, don't forget that the new Willy Wonka movie will be out on Friday. Woo!

yeah, can't wait!

 

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