My book club debate about unreliable narrators got way too heated last night

I host a monthly book club and we were discussing a novel with an unreliable narrator. Half the group thought the narrator was lying the whole time, the other half thought he was just forgetful. Things got tense when Sarah slammed her book on the table and said we were all reading it wrong. I had to step in and remind everyone this is supposed to be fun, not a court case. We took a 10 minute break for snacks and then voted on who had the strongest evidence from the text. The forgetful side won by 4 votes but people were still mad when they left. Has anyone else had a debate ruin the mood at their book club?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_dixon7026d ago

@lily70 a podcast I heard said book clubs with arguments are healthier than polite ones.

lily7026d ago

Figured a book club with a vote and evidence rules would be pretty boring, honestly. Sounds about as fun as a group project that's mandatory.

christopher94325d ago

That vote just proves people treat arguments like sports wins instead of trying to understand each other.