Duck hunting

One of the parts that made me smile was the author's plan to "exterminate the duck" from one of his neighbors in the hospital (amplified because of his hearing disorder):

"I had a very young neighbor who was given a velveteen duck equipped with a sophisticated detection device. It emitted a reedy, piercing quack whenever anyone entered the room - in other words, twenty-five times a day. Luckily the little patient went home before I could carry out my plan to exterminate the duck."

Why in the world do parents give their children such obnoxious toys? Maybe it's just me, but toys seem to have become worse, not better, with technology. I especially loathe the contraptions that combine flashing lights with a rapid-fire dinging whenever the kid hits a button. Horrible!

Father's Day

What did you think of the author's family, especially that scene when they're coming to see him on Father's Day?

"Until my stroke, we had felt no need to fit this made-up holiday into our emotional calendar. But today we spend the whole of the symbolic day together, affirming that even a rough sketch, a shadow, a tiny fragment of a dad is still a dad."

I thought it was good that they decided not to sugarcoat reality, or even to keep him away from seeing his kids. Still, I can imagine how difficult it must be to see a loved one in that condition. I was very torn, I confess.

The art of simmering memories

I love that passage when Jean-Dominique describes his favorite food memories:

"Depending on my mood, I treat myself to a dozen snails, a plate of Alsatian sausage with sauerkraut, and a bottle of late-vintage golden Gewurztraminer; or else I savor a simple soft-boiled egg with fingers of toast and lightly salted butter. What a banquet! The yolk flows warmly over my palate and down my throat. And indigestion is never a problem."

(Ahh, now I'm getting hungry ... )

What's your favorite food memory(ies)? I'll go first, if you like:

Eating ice cream for the first time

I actually don't remember this, but my mom apparently does. She said I was a toddler at the time and went into a state of pure ecstasy, eyes closing and mouth opening for more. Hee hee...

Eugenie

What did you think of Eugenie? I liked her, especially from Jean-Dominique's description.

"...a strange euphoria came over me. Not only was I exiled, paralyzed, mute, half deaf, deprived of all pleasures, and reduced to the existence of a jellyfish, but I was also horrible to behold.

"There comes a time when the heaping up of calamities brings on uncontrollable nervous laughter - when, after a final blow from fate, we decide to treat it all as a joke. My jovial cackling at first disconcerted Eugenie, until she herself was infected by my mirth. We laughed until we cried."

Have you ever had a similar experience? I know at the end of a really bad day, I do indeed start laughing - though I've never had as bad a day as Jean-Dominique must have had.

'Locked in' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

"My diving bell becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly. There is so much to do. You can wander off in space or in time, set out for Tierra del Fuego or for King Midas's court."

What were your overall thoughts and impressions of the book? Was it what you expected, or different? If different, in what ways? Or if the same, what exactly was it that you were expecting?

New pick

"The Aspern Papers" by Henry James

Set in a brilliantly described Venice, James's 1888 novella portrays an editor's obsession with acquiring the private papers of a dead poet from the man's lover.

Next pick

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death" by Jean-Dominique Bauby