Book Convo: Shine by Candy Gourlay (SPOILER ALERT)

I love it when my kids read with me. When they read YA books of my choice and I in turn read theirs, I feel bonded with them. I love it even more when we talk about books we have read. I get new insights from them. I learn about their thought processes, their choices and current disposition. Then, I recommend more books for them to read! 

So I thought of sharing our book conversations (convo) with you all.

These are my questions for Zoe, my daughter (13 years old), who read Shine at the height of Candy Gourlay's rock star visit in Manila.

Mama Z: What did you like about Shine?

Zoe: I like the idea of the surprises in the novel. It gave me goosebumps!
Mama Z: What did you not like about Shine?

Zoe: Nothing. I liked everything about the book. Oh, except for Kat.
Mama Z: Who was the most interesting character and what made him/her interesting ?

Zoe: Danny and Rosa are interesting. I am not sure if Danny has another story. Where did he get weird tattoos? How did he know Rosa all along? Even if Rosa is the narrator she has that "something" and that makes it interesting.

Mama Z: That "something" is perhaps, her attitude? Her curiosity?

Zoe: Hmm… I think so. She sounds like one of my friends.

My recommendation: Read this book with an older set of readers and talk about it.
There is so much to peel away from Shine: relationships, the ghosts of our past, the truths we believe in;
the choices we make; the stories we tell and share.
In the end, the reader would further ruminate on the things that matter in his or her life.
That's what the book did to me. It gave me a lot to think about.

Mama Z: Do you think the death of _____ was worth it?

Zoe: I think she deserves it. She could harm Rosa really bad. Like what she did with Rosa's mom.

Mama Z: What would you want to ask Candy Gourlay?

Zoe: I want to ask Ms. Gourlay if there will be a book 2 of Shine. Will Danny and Rosa's friendship 
continue?

At first, Zoe didn't fully grasp the death scene of one of the characters in the novel. We had to go back to the text and unlock the description of that character's passing. The teacher in me had to tell her how words can be used to say something and mean another and that, much of our experiences in real life come into play when we read.

Books bring people together. Keep reading! And keep talking about books read with friends and family, and people who share the same passion. Until the next book convo! Abangan!