The Opposite of Tidy/ Carrie Mac 
Fifteen-year-old Junie is barely coping. Her mother has started sleeping in the chair in front of the TV, and the house is so packed with junk, newspapers, cupboard organizers and other helpful items from the Shopping Channel that she can barely get in the front door. Her father is no help, since he's always with That Woman. To top it off, she's failing math. So when Wade Jaffre, the hot new guy at school, offers her a ride home, it seems too good to be true. Junie surprises herself by accepting - and even talking! She doesn't have to think twice about directing him on to her best friend Tabitha's house, or about continuing the charade of pretending she lives there. Tabitha and her mother are understanding - and willing to go along, for the moment. But as the weeks go by, Junie's lies start piling up and the opportunity to tell the truth seems to slip away. Until the day Junie's world - and her mother's - is literally turned inside out for everyone to see, and Junie and her mother must face the consequences of her mother's illness... and the lies they both told to hide it.
Discussion questions:
-The tag line for this book is 'How to come clean when your life is a mess". Can you relate to this statement, not from a hoarding experience, but a general statement about honesty in relationships?
-Do you think that Junie's mom (or anyone else who is afflicted by this disorder) ever really gets "over" the desire to hoard? How do they keep it in check?
Discussion questions:
-The tag line for this book is 'How to come clean when your life is a mess". Can you relate to this statement, not from a hoarding experience, but a general statement about honesty in relationships?
-Do you think that Junie's mom (or anyone else who is afflicted by this disorder) ever really gets "over" the desire to hoard? How do they keep it in check?
I think that we can all relate to the tagline because as a general assumption I'm sure we all have told lies to cover things up in our lives that we don't want people to see and eventually if you tell enough lies they'll all just build up like it did for Junie.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think people with the disorder ever really get over their desire to hoard but I think what stops them from hoarding is that they know now what it can do, and they want to stop. But I think the key is wanting to stop, and wanting to live a healthy, hoarding free life. You won't get anywhere if you don't want it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this book! It took me a little while to get into but after I was into it I couldn't put it down, it was a real tear jerker and it was very well written. I also loved the Jeremy and Royce characters, I love old people relationships they're very cute and I like that they weren't just ordinary people. And Wade sounds like a lovely person. I'm also glad the book doesn't mention if Royce died because I think that would have been way too sad! Great job though!
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