Novel+Study+Focus+Assignment

Jan.11, 2012 My Reaction To "Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You" Chantelle Chan
Write a one page reaction to the novel. In your explanation answer several, but not necessarily all, of the following questions: What do you think the theme of the novel was? Do you think that the author was successful in getting the message across? Why? For whom was the book written? What are the Good and bad points about your novel and why? Did the novel help you in any way? Did you learn anything from the novel? What did you find most interesting? What did you find most bizarre? What was most believable or unbelievable? Would your recommend this book to any one? Why or why not? Will you will read any more by this author?
 * 1) 3-- YOUR REACTION

====** The novel “Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You” by Peter Cameron was such an intriguing book to read. Despite James’ slightly annoying tendencies to be so self centered, his train of thought is actually rather interesting. The overall theme of this novel, at least to me, is something that I thought constantly as I read onwards in this book. To myself, the overall of theme of the entire book was one of acceptance, and learning to be happy, or at least content, as in the end, James finally learns to not always look on the negative part of things, and find contentment. The author’s way of getting his theme across is fairly straightforward, through the way that James starts off his therapy as entirely pessimistic and somewhat hostile to Dr. Adler, but in their later sessions open up about himself shows how he is slowly allowing himself to become a better person. Mr. Cameron dedicated his book to Justin Richardson, and in memory of Marie Nash Shaw. However, his audience is mostly angst-ridden teens, and young adults. I wouldn’t recommend to anyone over the age of 19, as by then, one’s thoughts would generally have matured past the thoughts of James, and the book would appear silly, and James’ problems trivial. That’s not to say his problems aren't trivial, if you put into retrospect that despite his family’s dysfunctional qualities, he is well off, with people around him that love him, and all he needed to do to fix his life was change his point of view. I suppose I have a rather disdainful view of James, just because his personality is difficult for me to understand, as I’m a rather live in the moment, optimistic sort of person. The best passage of this entire book would have to be the part in which he walks in upon his sleeping grandmother, and is completely and utterly shocked, as his grandmother was not a believer in naps. However, he sat and waited for her to wake. I believe that at the beginning of the book, he would have just left, seeing as how James had been a more self centered person, but now, he seemed more open to share and communicate his problems to someone else. Granted, it was his beloved grandmother, one of the only people that he could feel open around, and talk to, but regardless, it is still progress in the way James acts. It really showed how he had grown as a person. In contrast, the worst point of the novel in my opinion is the section in which he deceives the man who runs his mother’s art gallery, John, into thinking that he is someone else, because James has a bit of a crush on John. In this effort to make John seen him as a potential “partner”, James manages to alienate John, and winds up being accused of sexual harassment. It showed how little James had thought about John’s own feelings and free will, also how he had not at all thought through his plan to make John love him. In the end, the two do make amends.I wish I could say that this novel had helped me in someway to find my own light, but it has not. To me, it is just a severe warning of exactly how I wish not to be, and that, in itself, is a sort of learning. **====