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The Page Turners Reading Group Invites Author to Discuss her Book

The Page Turners Reading Group Invites Author to Discuss her Book
Lunch with The Page Turners 2/18/14

Lunch with The Page Turners 2/18/14

At her dinner party last fall, Kathleen mentioned that I had written a book and suggested that everyone should read it. Suzie read it and recommended it to her book club, The Page Turners. “It would be great if you could be there when we discuss Split,” she said after the book was accepted by the group, “but it won’t be until February. Would you like to join us then?” Now isn’t that a wonderful question? I know of several out of State book clubs that have read and discussed Split, but this was my first invitation in Sedona.

Suzie held the event at her home and prepared a most delicious luncheon of dishes she had researched as being typical of the Guatemalan region. There were salads with a delicate touch of cayenne and cumin, dobladas: folded tortillas filled with a cheesy tomato mix, coleslaw with other grated veggies like parsnips and carrots and a bit of jalapeno. Drinks included chamomile tea with apple juice, a lemonade concoction into which some of the rind and pulp had been VitaMixed… And for dessert: spiced aromatic coffee with coconut cream, baked bananas accompanied with dark chocolate cookies hinting of cardamom, cinnamon, and cayenne! Wow! How did Suzie manage to get such subtle nuances where no particular spice overpowered the other? She writes about food, and reviews local restaurants; but I’d say that writing and creating masterful dishes are two very different things.

As the readers began to arrive, I noted them eyeing me with contained curiosity. One, and I apologize for not having her name, shared that she had a Guatemalan daughter-in-law. From what she shared about her, I could tell she was justifiably proud of the young woman’s accomplishments.

But I could not wait to hear the questions. Nancy, leading the discussion asked if there been an urgency in writing Split; how painful/cathartic had it been to bring to paper the emotional passages in the book? Carol wanted to know if writing had helped recall the many details. Joanne, who claimed she could not remember a single dream, marveled at the dream sequences, and all chimed in regarding my having dreamt repeatedly of my future husband when I was a little girl. All questions opened paths for deep discussions. Such as the impossibility of parents knowing the many subliminal messages a child receives about itself. Particularly how messages are processed in the adopted child’s mind. We talked about essential aspects of honoring the birth mother, and in her (or the birthfather’s) absence, honoring the child’s culture. Had I really adjusted to being Black while in the Jamaican boarding school, was another question. That lead to character development, in particular Myrna, whose cultural Blackness had profoundly astonished me when I had to deal with her.

Some offered me their favorite passages in Split at the Root. “I had freckles, and hated them,” Nancy said, “but had someone told me they looked like ‘little caramelized specks of sugar,’ I would have loved them.” The classroom scene toward the end of Split was Joanne’s favorite passage. Paula asked about Marlon, Nola’s two and a half year-old son who, by his repetitive questions had made it clear to me that a child misses the birthmother. and we talked about Ruth, the nurturing older adoptive sister, and her bringing me my beloved little brown doll Lulu.

For my part, I appreciated that there was no judgment regarding my German mother. It was clear that a period in history must not be judged according to contemporary standards.

The discussions with The Page Turners showed me how universally Split at the Root resounds in other’s uniquely different cultural and emotional frameworks. The Page Turners luncheon, on a sunny February Tuesday in Sedona, will join the ranks of thrilling memories that will last throughout my life.

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