ALN Monthly Book Club - The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Claire North

Details

What better way to celebrate the month of August than with our choice for the August 2019 book: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Claire North.

Content warning: Graphic violence. Details not given her to avoid spoilers. Contact an organizer if you have concerns about the book's content.

Some stories cannot be told in just one lifetime. Harry August is on his deathbed. Again. No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes. Until now. As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside. "I nearly missed you, Doctor August," she says. "I need to send a message." This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow.

For more information on how to find the group at the park: We meet at Presidio Park at the top of the hill, at whatever picnic tables we can grab in the shade, as close to the bathrooms as we can get without it getting smelly. 32°45'26.1"N 117°11'33.4"W

It is highly recommended you bring a folding chair or a blanket to lay on the ground. We usually sit atop pine needles, but some people are able to sit on the picnic tables or in the grass if any is nearby.

We hope to see you there!

Questions!

Intro;

During your third life, after the tumultuous second life of mental breakdowns and/or suicide, what different skill set would you pursue given the knowledge from your previous two lives?
Provided the statements that "Knowledge is power" and "Power corrupts", is it inevitable that any mnemonic Kalachakra with will become corrupted or evil?
There are a lot of time loop movies in popular media today. How does the writing in this book, particularly the nonlinear chapters, impact your impressions of the concepts of time travel or loops?
Do you agree with the Chronus club's firm stance on not altering the normal flow of time, but are unconcerned about individual 'linear' people? Where and how does causality and impact take effect?
We have had many conversations over the years about the protagonists of our stories and the way it can impact how we view a book or the world it creates. How does our narrator and his point of view impact our take on the world created and the story told?
There are many philosophical conversations with the characters about the Kalachakra's existence and how much it impacts or does not impact the future. What do you think happens when they are reborn? (Alternate dimension, timeline consistency, multiverse, etc.)
Do you sympathize with Vincent's mission in any way? Can you see why someone would value absolute knowledge over human suffering?
Kalachakra's leave games and riddles for future generations. What riddle would you leave for our time?