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Six Degrees: Not your Usual Guest Experiences

Redhead Tyler Guests

It’s time for #6degrees. Start with the monthly read, add six books, and see where you end up. Inspired by the 6 Degrees of Separation Meme hosted every month at Books are my Favorite and Best.

February 2021’s book is Redhead By the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler. Redhead is about a “Tech Hermit”, Micah Mortimer, whose neat, routined life goes topsy-turvy when guests appear uninvited at his door. This made me think of various house guest experiences, especially for some of the more reclusive literary characters.

To Kill a Mockingbird Reclusive

Micah reminds me of Arthur “Boo” Radley in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird. Boo has spent his life cooped up in his house, leading to some interesting theories in the neighborhood about his solitude. But when little Scout (the narrator in the book) is attacked, Boo must venture out to save the day. Incidentally, Lee herself was famous for being socially reclusive.

Great Expectations & Miss Havisham

This brings me to Miss Havisham in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I find Miss Havisham to be one of the most interesting characterizations in literature. Jilted long ago at the altar, she raises Estella to be impervious to falling in love and heartbreak. But one day, her lovesick “ward”, Pip, comes to visit her again… Miss Havisham sees herself in him, and it’s as if all the cobwebs fall away.

Ottessa

In Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation, the narrator just wants to be left alone to a good whole year of sleep. Much needed for stress-busting, you know. As the book blurb states, sometimes “alienation can be reasonable, even necessary”. Except, other people just won’t let our narrator be. Hilarity (of the darker variety) ensues.

Hobbit Tolkien

This brings me to the fourth book, The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, including the prequel, The Hobbit. Gollum wasn’t expecting Bilbo Baggins in his part of the goblin tunnels. He also didn’t expect to lose his precious ring of invisibility to Bilbo. And add to that, Bilbo won a set of riddles! Odious, odious house guest.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell Susannah Clarke

In Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, the titular Mr. Gilbert Norrell has been hoarding books about magic all his life. Norrell jealously guards his knowledge of sorcery, but then Jonathan Strange comes to visit. Strange becomes Norrell’s apprentice – a feat of no ordinary measureβ€”and soon begins to supercede his master in the practice of magic.

Jane Eyre Bronte

The last book in this chain is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Remember Richard Mason, Rochester’s brother-in-law? Things would have been very different if Mason hadn’t visited the remote Thornfield Hall, all the way from West Indies. Not being a very grateful guest, Mason then proceeds to spill some unsavory truths — on Rochester’s wedding day! Staying locked away never did keep secrets safe.


So, did you participate in this month’s #6Degrees? Which books did it make you think of?

22 replies on “Six Degrees: Not your Usual Guest Experiences”

Well, I was wondering if anyone might hit on that recluse bit in Tyler’s book – and here you go! Really interesting chain here! I’ve read Mockingbird and Great Expectations, but none of the others. Thanks.

Clever theme! Unexpected guests – you could even include Anne Shirley in that category. I am unfamiliar with My Year of Rest and Relaxation but often wonder when I crawl into bed at 1 why I procrastinated when a year of sleep is what I crave so much – and then I wonder how I can be so tired after a year of doing nothing. It sounds so intriguing that I wonder if it would be a good book group choice?

I couldn’t get into Jonathan Strange the first time I tried it but rescued a weary paperback from somewhere recently, figuring I would try it again, especially as people are enjoying her new book.

Oh, that’s true about Anne! Especially about her being the Cuthbert’s unexpected gift from Providence.

On Ottessa, I definitely recommend it as a group reading choice. It has its dark humor, and some interesting themes on boundary setting. As someone else pointed out, the narrator would have welcomed a pandemic lockdown!

And as for Jonathan Strange — I hear you. It took me several attempts to keep going, but wait till you reach Chapter 3 (yes, that’s the magic number!) and then you’ll start really liking it.

I read To Kill a Mockingbird a few years ago and did not love it as much as most people because I grew up in Alabama and it reminded me of attitudes there. But it is, of course, a very good book. I have only read two books by Dickens and I need to read more. Great Expectations sounds like one I should try. My Year of Rest and Relaxation sounds very strange. I read The Hobbit to my son when he was young, and maybe one of the The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Jane Eyre is on my classics list, although I am sure I read it long ago.

Thanks for visiting my Six Degrees post.

Ah, that reminds me of all the triggers in Mockingbird — I should have remembered those. I haven’t tried the sequel that Harper wrote, but I remember it drew some comments about how it wiped out all the good in the first book. I just couldn’t pick up the sequel after that πŸ™

What a great theme. I really struggled to get started with my chain – I just couldn’t find any inspiration for the first link at all. I haven’t read the Ottessa Moshfegh book, but I’ve read all of the others in your chain and enjoyed them all!

To be honest, I try to pick “themes”, otherwise I’m never able to figure out a chain by place, author or characters for #6Degrees. Tyler isn’t a favorite for me either, so I had to start off from the blurb

Oh I loved how you connected these and some great books too. I have been meaning to read this Ottesa Moshfegh title. Have you read her novel Eileen? Such a great read.

That’s actually another very interesting train of thought — how people who’ve read the same books link up books in unique, very different ways! Off to check out your post

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