Book Discussion of Mad Honey
Hi everyone! I'm writing to see if anyone would like to read and discuss the book Mad Honey by Jennifer Finney Boylan and Jodi Picoult.
I will tag people who expressed interest in the last book that a few of us read. Please feel free to ignore the tag if you are not interested or able to participate. Please also feel free to tag others who might be interested.
Thank you!
@adventurousBranch3786 @glowingPond @Cancun @AffyAvo @ThadSterling @svobodovaa
I love Jodi Picoult and haven't read this one yet. Count me in!
@Gwynifyr welcome!! A couple of us have finished the book but are still discussing it (I have not posted any new questions in the last few days, but more will be coming soon, and I will include any spoiler alerts). Please feel free to read and reply to the existing questions as you like or share anything else you want to 😊 We are going to be selecting a new book soon, so please let me know if you would like to be tagged. Thank you! Happy reading!
Discussion question from Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan | Book Club Discussion Questions | ReadingGroupGuides.com :
"Olivia’s chapters move forward in time while Lily’s move backward. How did this affect the story’s narrative and the way information was revealed? Why do you think the authors specifically chose to focus the points of view on Olivia and Lily?"
@ReadBooks7. At times it was a little confusing for me. Lily’s went backwards while Olivia’s went forward at times mixed with her past memories. Towards the end it started to make more sense for me and I did appreciate being able to see both of the characters back stories. I think the authors focused on the 2 women’s point of view to let us get to know them and all they had been through. It helped to explain their fears and a lot of the choices that they made.
@adventurousBranch3786 I found the backwards narrative to be a bit confusing, too. I think it was a clever way of revealing past events and the changes that Lily went through, but it was a bit hard to follow. I love how deeply they delved into both characters so that the readers could really empathize with that they'd been through.
Here is a question with a ***Spoiler Alert***
What do you think of the prosecutor’s decision not to charge Mya?
Do you think that Mike is correct in assuming that Ava prefers this as well?
@adventurousBranch3786 great questions! *Spoiler Alert* I think that the prosecution deemed that it was an accidental death and tragic, and while I suppose they could have charged Mya with involuntary manslaughter or similar and/or obstruction of justice (and possibly perjury, although I am not sure if her not admitting what happened would qualify unless she was directly asked in court and lied), they likely figured that enough lives had been ruined or turned completely upside down in the process, so why charge someone who is practically still a child? I cannot remember everyone's exact ages, but if Mya was an adult, she was just barely, and still in high school. They probably thought about her intentions and realized she never intended for anyone to get hurt and did not speak up because she was terrified. She did not purposely cause what happened. She had no intent to cause it. It was truly an accident.
Part of me thinks that she should have been charged with obstruction of justice or similar for not telling the truth and for allowing someone else to take the fall for the alleged crime, though. I am okay with not charging her for what was an accident, but scared or not, she chose to lie by omission, and it almost ruined others' lives in the process. Even if she was charged and only placed on probation, that would have been fine. She did not necessarily need a strict punishment. But I do not think I am okay with it going completely unpunished. However, her age is a factor.
I do not think that Ava wants anyone else to suffer, so I imagine Ava is probably okay with it overall but might have a similar thought process as I do.
@ReadBooks7. It did seem strange to me how the prosecutor was so aggressive with Asher and then just let it go completely with Mya. Since she had been so aggressive I thought she would have tried for involuntary manslaughter like you mentioned. Or at least look for some sort of minor charge related to not coming forward if possible.
