The Sun is Also a Star, Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Sun Is Also A Star. 

How did you enjoy the first part of the book? Do you like the way the book is written? It took me a minute to get used to the way the chapters moved, and it took me a few chapters to get used to the little asides and historical sections she added in the middle of the story. Did you enjoy the extra stuff, or did you find it a little confusing? Do you like it when authors do non-traditional things while writing? I read a book recently that had emails and text message threads and news articles spread throughout, and I enjoyed that. Nicola Yoon's other book, Everything, Everything, has a lot of ephemera on the pages--have any of you read that book? 

A big thing about this first section is that Daniel convinces Natasha to talk to him by telling her that he can make her fall in love with him using science. He mentions an article that includes 36 questions that will make people fall in love. Nicola Yoon includes several of the questions in the narrative through conversations between Daniel and Natasha, but if you want to read the full list of questions, check out this site. Then, check out this site that gives personal anecdotes from couples who have actually used the questions--don't miss the video on the page because the video has a really interesting interview. Finally, check out the video below to hear from the scientist who created the questions!

What did you think of Daniel and Natasha in this first section? They are obviously very different, but I think they are compatible. What did you think of the way they met? Do you think the questions will bind them together? 

The main conflict in this section is that Natasha's family is going to be deported at the end of the day if she can't figure out a way to keep them in the United States. Natasha gets the name of a "fixer" lawyer in this first section, but do you think he's going to be able to help her? At the end of this section, the lawyer's secretary is hopeful that the lawyer will be able to help Natasha's family, but Natasha is still not sure. What do you think will happen? 

 I think a really interesting thing about this book is the fact that the action is taking place over such a short period of time. I feel like Daniel and Natasha have already made a pretty meaningful connection to each other, even though they have only known each other for hours. Do you have to keep reminding yourself that all of the action is happening in a really short time frame?

At the end of this section, Natasha and Daniel are separated from each other. How do you think they'll reconnect? Do you think Daniel will actually make it to his meeting? 

Before you go, make sure you check out this article that gives information about the inspiration for the novel. Let me know which parts of the article were most interesting to you!

I hope you enjoyed this first section and are excited to read more. Make sure to read to page 230 before joining us next week. I can't wait to hear from you in the comments section.