Agawam Pageturner's Book Club's Discussion of Songs without Words by Ann Packer

The group had a lively discussion about this book. Some loved it saying the felt present with the drama of the family when one member, the teenage daughter Lauren, tries to commit suicide. Others felt there was too much detail, and that it went on, and on. Others argued that life is about minutiae. The book also discussed the effect the attempted suicide has on the mother Liz and her friend Sarabeth. Sarabeth cannot deal with it, partly because her mother committed suicide when she was a teenager. Liz has to come to terms that she has always been the giving one in the relationship, and she has to decide if she still wants to remain friends with Sarabeth when Sarabeth does not come to her aid. In terms of the coverage of a person with depression, people thought it was well done, as well as the effect on the family. Liz wants to blame herself, because it is easier than believing bad things can happen at random. The turning point for Lauren's healing is when she shows a caring attitude for Lucas, someone else in the mental ward of the hospital. She thinks of something outside herself. This book prompted discussion of deep topics.