miller.rowan•24d agoProlific Poster

Debate: Do you focus on character arcs or plot twists in book club picks?

My old book club always fought over plot holes but never talked about why characters acted dumb. Switched to a new group last year that only cares about character growth and it changed how I read everything. Which side do you lean on when picking books for debate?

3 comments

3 Comments

jana_shah23d ago

I used to be all about plot twists honestly. Thought a crazy twist made up for everything else. But reading "The Silent Patient" with my group changed my mind hard. That twist at the end would have felt so cheap if we hadn't spent the whole book digging into why the main character did what she did. Now I lean way more into character arcs when picking books for debate. Plot twists are fun but they fall flat if the people in the story don't feel real enough to make you care.

taylor.reese23d ago

Eight times out of ten I pick books solely because the cover has a good twist promise on it, and then I end up confused why I don't care about anyone. @jana_shah you might have just saved me from my own terrible taste.

cole_baker23d agoOG Member

Pick up the book, read one random page in the middle, if it feels flat walk away.