Novel+Study+Journal

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Pg.4- 61
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**1. Why did you select this novel?**
====I chose this novel due the review I read on this book. It boasted of an 18 year old teen, named James Brown. It went on to describe that they boy was somewhat of an introvert, and that he begins to be infatuated with the man running his mother's art gallery. This review promted me to think, because I am such an extrovert, I've never had the pleasure of thinking about life from an introvert's point of view. I hoped that this book would give me insight to another person who seems to be the exact opposite of myself, and how someone else would view the world. In addition, I did not wish to read yet another adventure novel, they've begun to have a rather predictable plot line.====

**5. Who is telling the story?**
====How does this person’s perspective effect the way the story is told? The protagonist in this story is also the narrorator. James Sveck is a young man with a perspective completely alien to my own. He seems to completely be an introvert, and thinks many things much more throughly, and bases what he narrorates upon his own thoughts, expirences, and emotions rather than the actions or reactions of others. His perspective is more inwards than most of the novels I've read.==== = =

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**3. What has happened before the novel began?**
====Before the novel began, James had been accepted into Brown, a rather prestigious university, been hired to work for his mother's art gallery, and upon his mother's whim to travel on a Las Vegas honeymoon with her third husband, he agreed to close the art gallery down with John, the man who runs the gallery, while she was away. James' sister, Gillian, began dating a professor at Barnard named Rainer Maria Schultz, and became quite a "bit of a linguistic zealot", which I quote directly from the book.==== = =

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Pg. 62- 102
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**6. What is the setting of the novel?**
====Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why? This novel is set in modern day New York City, but it seems to me that so far, the setting isn’t too important to the storyline itself. Basically, it could have been set in any large city, because James seems like a young man lost in thought, and dreaming of the solitude of what he imagines Kansas to be like, all quiet countryside. If it were any other big city, there would doubtlessly be the same dilemma of the wish for the contented quietness of the country.==== = =

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**7. What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character?**
====The first problem faced by James was that his mother had returned from her honeymoon to Las Vegas with her third husband earlier than planned, and John, the man who runs Majorie’s (James’ mom) art gallery, had closed it down for a few days to stay with friends in Amsterdam. James had agreed to keep quiet about this little hiatus, but now that his mother had returned, it was urgent that John also return from his holiday and open the art gallery once again before Majorie found out that he had closed it in the first place.==== = =

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**8.How does the author get you to read on or hold your interest?**
====The author, Peter Cameron, has been great at providing insight as to how James’ mind works. It was refeshing to find a different perspective on how someone would think about things. However, a downside to this is that Mr. Cameron spends so much time describing what is going on inside of James’ mind it becomes almost tiring, and one would wish that he would describe more exciting events in the world around James==== = =

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Pg. 103- 146
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**4. What's going on as the story begins?**
====As the story begins, James' family is introduced. Her sister is revealed to be dating a professor, his mother just returned early from her third honeymoon. His father seems to be slightly homophobic, but tries to support James, and seems to be trying to tell James that it is alright with him if he is gay, without intent of insult. His mother's career is explained, that she used to be a "coffee table book" editor, and now runs an art gallery instead. As the novel progresses, James gives much critisism about his mother's well meaning but misguided notions about selling art. One also rather quickly picks up the feeling that James seems slightly detached from the world. This feeling increases as the book progesses.==== = =

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**9.What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses?**
====The original conflict seems to be James' struggle to find his place in this world, as he will soon be forced to go to a university (Brown) which he greatly wishes not to go to. He believes, and rightly so, that university will be a nightmare for him, because he will be surrounded by his peers, and people of his own age do not bode well with him. The problem is increased by James' parents, in trying to help their son, force him to go to this college, instead of spending the money to buy a house in the midwest, which is apparently his dream in life because to him, the countryside represents a safe haven, where life is always slow and sleepy, like breakfastime. In addition, he recounts his ordeal at an event called "The American Classroom", which he unwittingly won an essay contest to go to. He had hated every single moment of that event, and had a psychological breakdown, causing him to need to visit a therapist upon his return to New York, which he is also at odds with.==== = =

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**10.What plot twists or unexpected events happen as the novel goes on?**
====As the novel progesses, James, who so far had seemed to me to be the quiet, rebellious only in his mind type, suddenly reaches his breaking point, and decides to run away from the rest of "The American Classroom" group. When he is finally caught at the National Gallery, he was extremely upset, due to the fact that he had revisited some paintings that he had seen when he was 13 years old. He had realized that he wanted to be old, to skip past manhood, and to die.==== = =

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Pg.147-195
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**11.Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events?**
====This novel is very, very internally based, and a lot of times is spent in James' own head, on his own thoughts and feelings. Due to this, it requires more concentration to follow current events in the novel. For example, when he refers to his experiences in the American Classroom, one does not immediately realize that the entire section was James telling Dr. Adler what had happened, until the dialogue between them. James spends a lot of time jumping back and fourth between relating past events, the present, and his own thoughts and feelings on each. sometimes, I begin to tire of the introverted way that this book in written in.==== = =

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**12. Is the language in the novel difficult or easy?**
====Give examples and explain. The language of this novel is modern day English, albeit with some uncommonly used words thrown in. It was relatively easy to follow, word for word wise, but i found myself with dictionary by my side, for those words that were yet to be added to my vocabulary. For example, hiatus instead of holiday, zealot for a n enthusiast, decoupaged for decorated, or postehaste instead of immediately. the author's use of interesting synonyms for common words was one of the aspects that kept me interested in this book.==== = =

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**13. To what age group is the novel aimed? Support your answer with evidence.**
====This novel appears to be aimed at teens and young adults. anyone younger, I believe would have a hard time staying entertained by such a detailed and internally aimed book. In addition, the language used in this book strays upon the more sophisticated side, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under 13, or anyone over 20. Once you are over 20, you have already exceeded the age range of the main character, and one's vision would be broader and have more life experience than James, therefore making his problems seem petty.==== = =

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Pg. 196-229
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**14. Is there a message or main theme emerging in the book? How is it shown?**
====The main theme I notice from this book is the way someone can learn to be optimistic. It's show through the way that James starts off the novel as someone who seems to unwittingly make things difficult, only because his focus is always so inwards, and he doesn't enjoy any normal human interaction. He slowly progresses through the therapy sessions with Dr. Adler, and starts to learn to open up to people. He still favours talking only to John and his grandmother, but by the end of the novel, how he describes his life seemed much more open then it had been in his past.==== = =

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**15.Describe any new characters that are introduced? What is their purpose?**
====Sue Kenny is introduced when her and James sit next to each other, in the very front of the bus at the American Classroom. The purpose of her being in this novel is to show how completely opposite James is from her. She's described as a "hefty gal that could use some more deodorant." A Pennsylvanian, she was always bright and optimistic, and loved everything and everyone. It was an odd sort of acquaintanceship, but it oddly suited them both. Sue Kenny being in the novel showed how much of a loner James was, except he preferred the solitude.==== = =

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**16.What is the climax of the novel?**
====The climax of this rather unexciting novel would have to be the part in which he decides to confess his troubles to his grandmother. After that point, even though he does not say it directly, he seems to be more at peace with himself and the things he has done. His grandmother's reassurance was just the thing he needed, and some time and space away from the craziness of the city. Clearly, she seems to be more of a mother figure than Majorie, his real mother, to him. After that point in the story, he seems calmer and surer. The rest of the action in this story just seems to fade out, and be a wrap up after that point.==== = =

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==#3-- YOUR REACTION 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?==

====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.====