Re: milum's "700 page 110 chapter journey"Something unanticipated that came out of my book club's discussion of
Ahab's Wife was the numerical significance of page numbers and major illustration plates. We decided it was no accident that it has 666 pages and has 13 full-page illustration plates. One of the major themes of the book is the main character's refusal of her father's religious fervor, and there's probably some scholarship out there affirming the intentional use of numerology to reinforce that point.
I got the book for Christmas two years ago, and just finally got around to reading it about 6 months ago. I loved it, I passed it along to my mom, and she loved it too... some people in the book club got impatient with it, but I assured them that they hadn't properly assumed willing suspension of disbelief. Besides, I just read
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, which provides a non-fiction account of one of the major happenings in
Ahab's Wife, and Sena Jeter Naslund did her research. I was surprisingly impressed with the whole kit & kaboodle, particularly considering that reading
Moby Dick in high school was tantamount to torture.
I never thought I'd say this, but I might just have to read it again.
