The Dublin Book Club Meetup Group Monthly Meetup

Hi there,
Here are the books for the October 21st meetup. And remember, you don't have to read both books! Enjoy, and see you on the 21st of October!

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LOCATION HAS MOVED FROM THE BLEEDING HORSE TO JIMMY RABBITTE AT 87 LOWER CAMDEN STREET.

Note: If these books are difficult to find in bookshops, try online (e.g.: Amazon.co.uk, kennys.ie, easons.com, bookdepository.com to name a few).

AS THIS GROUP DOES NOT TAKE ONLINE PAYMENTS, EVERYONE WILL SHOW AS 'UNPAID'. PLEASE IGNORE.

1. Rabbit, Run – John Updike
It's 1959 and Harry 'Rabbit' Angstrom, one time high school sports superstar, is going nowhere. At twenty-six he is trapped in a second-rate existence - stuck with a fragile, alcoholic wife, a house full of overflowing ashtrays and discarded glasses, a young son and a futile job. With no way to fix things, he resolves to flee from his family and his home in Pennsylvania, beginning a thousand-mile journey that he hopes will free him from his mediocre life. Because, as he knows only too well, 'after you've been first-rate at something, no matter what, it kind of takes the kick out of being second-rate'.

2. Twist – Colum McCann
Anthony Fennell, a journalist, is in pursuit of a story buried at the bottom of the sea: the network of tiny fibre-optic tubes that carry the world's information across the ocean floor - and what happens when they break. So he has travelled to Cape Town to board the George Lecointe, a cable repair vessel captained by Chief of Mission John Conway. Conway is a talented engineer and fearless freediver - and Fennell is quickly captivated by this mysterious, unnerving man and his beautiful partner, Zanele. As the boat embarks along the west coast of Africa, Fennell learns the rhythms of life at sea, and finds his place among the band of drifters who make up the crew. But as the mission falters, tensions simmer - and Conway is thrown into crisis. A terrible, violent tragedy is unfolding in the life he has left behind on land; and, trapped out at sea, it seems as if the vast expanse of the ocean is closing in. Then Conway disappears; and Fennell must set out to find him. As taut and propulsive as a thriller, and a timeless exploration of narrative and truth, Twist is the work of a master storyteller at the height of his powers.

Séamus