55 pages • 1 hour read
Monica WoodHow to Read a Book
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Effects of Incarceration
Violet’s story illustrates the disorienting and isolating effects of imprisonment. She describes the invasiveness of being locked up, “Everything here is designed to murder your privacy” (1). Yet, when released, she is utterly alone. After months of confinement, she struggles to adjust to life on the outside, where the world has moved on without her. Her detachment from time and society demonstrates the consequences of incarceration as she struggles to function in even the fundamental areas of daily life. Eventually, Violet gathers the courage to leave the house but still fears forming new relationships and grapples with her sense of purpose. Violet’s psychological distress reveals how prison can deprive people of their identities, leaving them feeling confused and detached even after release.
Incarceration profoundly alters Violet’s sense of self. Before her imprisonment, she was a young woman with a future ahead of her. However, the time spent in prison forces her to confront her actions and their consequences. Yet, she is released from prison with no physical or emotional support to aid her in the transition back into society. Incarceration creates ripples that affect not only the individual but also their family and community. Violet’s imprisonment has damaged her relationship with her loved ones, particularly her sister, Vicki. Unresolved pain and grief plague their relationship, not just over Violet’s mistakes but also their mother’s death. Moreover, Vicki represents the deep-seated judgment of Violet’s religious community, which refuses to offer forgiveness or accept that Violet could find redemption for her crime. In Harriet and Frank, Violet finds the support necessary to rebuild her life. Harriet reminds her, “You have paid your debt, Violet, and now you have every right to live your life” (66).
Feelings of alienation mark Violet’s return to society, as she is labeled an “ex-convict,” illustrating the societal shame connected with incarceration. This stigma influences how others perceive her and how she sees herself, hindering her ability to create a fulfilling life outside of prison. For example, Harriet’s niece, Sophie, continually refers to Violet as an “inmate” and assumes she and the other Book Club members are dangerous. Violet also struggles to find work as she must disclose her criminal record to potential employers. Through the novel, Wood shows how societal judgment exacerbates the difficulties of reintegration, making it harder for Violet to overcome her past and restart her life. Healing from the impacts of incarceration involves more than just physical freedom; it also requires emotional and psychological recovery. Violet’s journey emphasizes the importance of empathy, support, and acceptance for a successful reintegration process, while also acknowledging the long-term effects that incarceration can have on individuals.
The Healing Power of Books
The women of Book Club experience loss, loneliness, and trauma and discover that books offer a refuge from their emotional and material struggles. Reading provides a means of escape, but more importantly, it allows them to process their feelings safely and in a controlled environment. Reading becomes a way to reconnect with themselves and the outside world, an antidote to the isolating Effects of Incarceration, and it helps them to rediscover joy and empathy. Violet keeps her books stacked under her bed like a valuable treasure. When she is released from prison, rediscovering reading and getting her first library card brings her hope and relief from her loneliness and isolation.
Books symbolize tools for intellectual growth and self-discovery in the novel. As the women immerse themselves in literature, they explore new ideas, challenge their assumptions, and expand their worldviews. Harriet intends it as an emotional engagement, not just an intellectual exercise. Gradually, reading and writing became a source of personal empowerment for women. Harriet builds on this by encouraging them to write, which helps them better understand the reading and themselves. Harriet’s commitment to exposing women to literature is a nurturing act akin to gardening, where new ideas take root and grow, leading to a more prosperous life. Books provide the language and framework for them to articulate their pain, seek forgiveness, and ultimately find some solace within themselves. Violet says, “I feel the way I always feel in Book Club. The way I believe we all feel. Safe” (1). Though Harriet can’t free their bodies from being physically incarcerated, each week, she offers them freedom inside their minds and hearts through stories and poetry.
The shared experience of discussing books brings the women together, fostering a sense of belonging and mutual understanding. Though they each have different paths that bring them to prison, literature serves as a bridge between them, helping them to forge connections that might otherwise be difficult in the face of their struggles. Reading aloud strengthens their bond as the women share the words on the page and the emotions and feelings the words evoke. Outside the prison, books continue to unite characters. Harriet meets Frank in the bookstore, and she and Violet regularly meet to discuss Spoon River Anthology. As the text states, “All humans want stories all the time” (219), and the novel highlights the life-giving ability books and reading can have on individuals and communities. The story establishes that reading can be more than leisure as it has the potential to lead to personal growth, reconciliation, and stronger interpersonal connections, especially for individuals in structurally disempowering environments such as prison.
Forgiveness of Self and Others
The novel emphasizes the critical role of forgiveness in personal healing, reconciliation, and establishing meaningful relationships. Violet’s experiences during her time in prison leave her overwhelmed with sorrow, and feelings of self-loathing and regret mar her journey toward redemption. With the guidance of Harriet, however, Violet slowly begins to make peace with her past mistakes and realizes that self-forgiveness is a powerful yet complex act of self-compassion that enables her to break free from the shackles of the past. Harriet says, “We are a continuum of human experience, neither the worst nor the best thing we have ever done. Or, more exactly, we are both the best thing and the worst thing we’ve ever done” (152). The narrative delves into the notion that forgiveness is an ongoing and often non-linear process.
For instance, Frank’s relationship with Kristy is impacted by the painful truth that Lorraine, Frank’s late wife, had deceived her. Each time he faces a challenging interaction with Kristy, Frank silently grapples with forgiving his late wife to maintain his fragile relationship with his daughter. After Violet forgives herself for her past transgressions, she enters a relationship with a married man and is burdened with guilt once again, prompting her to seek forgiveness from herself. Through their actions, Harriet and Frank impart to Violet that forgiveness extends beyond mere absolution and is a crucial component of self-acceptance and growth.
Violet’s deepest regrets center around leaving the scene of the accident and believing that she was responsible for her mother’s death. She describes her mistakes as ghosts that haunt her, “I can almost see them, our Reasons, small smoky thicknesses in the air. Like guardian angels, in a way. Guarding our memory of them. They float among us, quiet and uncomplaining, and they refuse to disappear” (8). Working through these grievances is a painstaking process, but Violet remains trapped until she fully relinquishes her grasp on a past she cannot change. Similarly, Frank grapples with feelings of guilt and shame. Despite forgiving Violet, he finds it difficult to forgive himself for his complex emotions regarding Lorraine’s passing, despite doing nothing wrong.
Through the novel, Wood shows that clutching onto feelings of resentment can be corrosive, and forgiveness lays the groundwork for healing and reconciliation. Frank offers Violet radical forgiveness for what happened to Lorraine and enlightens her that extending forgiveness to others is a gift to the forgiven and the forgiver, relieving the burden of bitterness. Frank understands that clinging to guilt is a heavy burden that hinders him from fully engaging in life. Similarly, Violet comes to terms with the likelihood that her family and friends may never wholly forgive her. At her mother’s graveside, she chooses to release the pain caused by their lack of forgiveness and embrace the empathy and compassion offered by Frank and Harriet. The novel’s exploration of the theme of forgiveness is best summed up in two words Harriet sees in a book: “Forgive everyone” (171), including oneself.
