Fourteen members attended to discuss the novel "Walt" by Canadian author Russell Wangersky.
When we went around the circle and voted out of a possible ten points, there was little agreement. Three members voted an even 5/10 while the others voted either very low or very high. The result was a score of 6/10. Only six members stated they would read another work by Russell Wangersky and some expressed an interest in reading his short stories.
Some of the negative comments were: slow, disjointed, dry, different, ambiguous.
Positive comments included: well-written, creepy, descriptive, understated, memorable.
Readers wondered why Alisha, one of Walt's stalking victims, did not have her locks changed, or why the police did not advise her to do so.
"Walt" was advertised as a psychological thriller. Some readers greatly disagreed with this assessment, while others thought it was 'spot on'. Set in St. John's, Newfoundland the novel is the story of Walt, a grocery store janitor, who has deep insight into his fellow man through the grocery lists they abandon. A solitary individual who has creepily disturbing habits...
My personal opinion of the novel was favourable. It was simple but deceptively deep. My review can be found on my blog: Fictionophile.
The lucky winners of the book giveaways this month were:
1. Brian
2. Gaye
3. Kim
4. Heather
5. Nancy
