Book Club | A Still Life (Josie George)
April 20 @ 6:00 pm BST – 7:00 pm BST
In our April Book Club, we will discuss A Still Life by Josie George. Josie’s beautiful memoir is a story of gentle rebellion amidst illness and pain with no end or resolution. It gives us a lens through which to zoom in and explore everyday beauty, mystery, and creativity. Would you like to join us to talk about it? I would love to hear what you think of it.
A Still Life Synopsis
Josie George lives in a tiny terraced house in the urban West Midlands with her son. Since her early childhood, she has lived with the fluctuating and confusing challenge of disabling chronic illness.
But Josie’s world is surprising, intricate, dynamic. She has learned what to look for: the routines of her friends at the community centre; the neighbourhood birds in flight; the slow changes in the morning light, in her small garden, in her growing son, in herself.
In January 2018, Josie sets out to tell the story of her still life, over the course of a year. As the seasons shift, and the tides of her body draw in and out, Josie begins to unfurl her history.
A Still Life is a story of illness and pain that rarely sees the light: illness and pain with no end or resolution; illness and pain that we must meet with courage, joy, ingenuity and hope. Against a world which values ‘feel good’ progress and productivity above all else, Josie sets out a quietly radical alternative: to value and treasure life for life itself, with all its defeats and victories, with all its great and small miracles.
What Happens At The Haven Book Club?
We meet on Zoom for an hour to discuss our general responses to the book. We consider its core concepts, themes, and ideas and reflect on how they have resonated (or not) with us.
Our book club is informal, open, and welcoming. It doesn’t matter if you are a voracious reader or if this is the first book you’ve read in years; your experience with it is what counts.
One of the wonderful aspects of discussions like these is that they can reveal new perspectives through which we can view books. Perhaps you found the writing style challenging, whereas someone else found poetry. Or you might have uncovered a thread that others overlooked. Sharing our experiences can unlock unexpected things and intriguing angles that we might not consider alone.
While it would be lovely to hear from you, there is no pressure for you to actively participate in our discussions. These are relaxed gatherings where people can be themselves. Similarly, although you will gain the most from it if you are familiar with the book, you are still more than welcome to join us even if you haven’t read it.
Keep The Conversation Going About A Still Life
We have a forum thread for this book, so the conversation doesn’t need to stop at the end of the meeting. Whether you didn’t make it to the meeting, new insights occurred to you later, or you prefer writing your thoughts, please continue the conversation this way.
Responses