Book #10: Imaginary Friend, Stephen Chbosky

"I realized that I had the opportunity to combine the two things I loved most. Heart and horror. Grounded emotion mixed with supernatural suspense." -Stephen Chbosky 

 About the book: 

Imagine... Leaving your house in the middle of the night. Knowing your mother is doing her best, but she's just as scared as you.

Imagine... Starting a new school, making friends. Seeing how happy it makes your mother. Hearing a voice, calling out to you.

Imagine... Following the signs, into the woods. Going missing for six days. Remembering nothing about what happened.

Imagine... Something that will change everything... And having to save everyone you love.

Today’s book though we all had varied levels of enjoyment, was  in my opinion, one of the best discussions the group has had. We discussed that this ending was not the original ending, Emma Watson wasn’t impressed during the filming of Perks of Being a Wildflower as they discussed the book and he changed the ending because of her direction/reaction. I would love to know how it initially ended that was so “lack luster?” 

Turns out interesting fact that Old Scratch is a nickname for the devil (and it’s interesting how everyone throughout the book, once Christopher touches them, gets these blisters and insatiable itch on their body/in their mind). Also a great point brought up is that a main symptoms of cancer (or often precancerous cells) is an itch. So it’s like the devil was like this cancer spreading to everyone in their ears and throughout their actions. 

We posed the question do you go to hell because you're a terrible person or had one terrible action? If that were the case wouldn’t we all go to hell? 

This proved that sometimes truth is worse than fiction could ever be (example, the dog house punishment for example). 

And we also took a deep dive into the idea o thef Eternal return (also known as eternal recurrence) is a concept that the universe and all existence and energy has been recurring, and will continue to recur, in a self-similar form an infinite number of times across infinite time or space. Eternal return relates in conjunction to the philosophy of predeterminism in that people are predestined to continue repeating the same events over and over again. 

The basic premise proceeds from the assumption that the probability of a world coming into existence exactly like our own is nonzero. If space and time are infinite, then it follows logically that our existence must recur an infinite number of times. As it seems that themes and things in this book seemed to happen over and over again over time and space to different characters such as Christopher and David. 

 Group Discussion Questions: 

• “I will protect you,” Christopher silently resolves to his mother at the end of Chapter 1 of Imaginary Friend. Discuss the various ways that Christopher protects his mother over the course of the novel, as well as the ways Kate protects Christopher. What does it mean to protect those you love? 
• From what should one’s loved ones be protected? Does this impulse ultimately do more harm or good, whether in your own personal experience or in Chbosky’s novel? 
• This book is a different genre than Chbosky’s acclaimed, celebrated debut novel, Perks of Being a Wildflower. Have you read both books? If so, in what ways are the novels similar? In what ways are they different? 
• If you haven’t read The Perks of being a Wildflower, do you think you’ll now be seeking it out after reading ? If you’ve already read Perks, do you think you’ll be rereading it after reading Chbosky’s second novel, or will you think of Chbosky’s debut in a different light? 
• What other novels, TV shows, or movies do you feel share a kinship with Imaginary Friend? 
• What or who do you think was the cloud with the smiling face who first led Christopher into the Mission Street Woods? 
• Kate chooses to raise her son Catholic, so he can grow up the same way his father had grown up; Mary Katherine, who plays an important role in the story, is also religious. Discuss the role of religion and spirituality in the novel. 
• Discuss the phrase “To think it is to do it,” which Chbosky uses to explore a handful of different themes in the novel. 
• Did you pick any themes out throughout the book? 
• To think it is to do it,” What does the phrase mean to Mary Katherine? What does it mean to Christopher? 
• Discuss the role that nightmares play in Imaginary Friend.
• What does Chbosky’s novel seem to suggest about the things that haunt us, whether during our waking hours or when we’re asleep? 
• What kinds of things haunt you awake or asleep? 
• What conclusions can you make about the nature of evil as Chbosky describes it? Of good as Chbosky describes it? 
• Imaginary Friend takes places in the months leading up to Christmas. Why do you think Chbosky chose to set this story then? What effect does the countdown to Christmas lend to the overall mood and tone of the read?     The Perks of Being a Wallflower is, in part, famous for a handful of quotable lines like “I feel infinite” and “We accept the love we think we deserve.” If Imaginary Friend becomes, like Chbosky’s debut, a novel that readers continue to discuss for years to come, what lines from Chbosky’s newest seem most likely to you to stand the test of time? What about this novel might readers remember long after finishing it? 
• How does this book help you to better understand people with mental and/or social disabilities? 
• Does it make you think differently about the young or old people, or see them in a different light? 
• What do you think is the scariest part of Imaginary Friend? Explain why. 
• What was your favorite part of Imaginary Friend? Explain why. 
• Which character did you relate to the most, and what was it about them that you connected with?
• How did you feel about the ending? What did you like, what did you not like, and what do you wish had been different?
• Did the book change your opinion or perspective about anything? Do you feel different now than you did before you read it?
• If this book was made into a movie, who would you cast as different characters? 
• If you got the chance to ask the author of this book one question, what would it be?