December 2024 - The House in the Cerulean Sea

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

1pm and 4:30pm

Join us to discuss the novel:
The House in the Cerulean Sea 

 by TJ Klune

Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world.

Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place―and realizing that family is yours.

Resources: (stay tuned for more)

• Author's website: www.tjklunebooks.com
• Playlist with songs mentioned in the book: music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw-BuJm0KEiWhN2yrConyryNFbc_7lZ7j
• Crash course in philosophy (this was part of the rabbit hole I went down with this book, but that might just be me!). YouTube Crash Course. This one seemed most helpful: Existentialism.

Keep reading:

• Libromaniac's recommended "magical school" books: libromaniacs.com/books-about-magical-schools/
• Sounds like a similar plot Nothing to See Here, by Kevin Wilson
• More TJ Klune - there's a sequel! www.tjklunebooks.com/books-2
  

Discussion prompts may contain SPOILERS (some borrowed from USFSM Libraries or Libromaniacs)

1. What was your main take-away? 
2. What worked for you? What didn't?
3. Throughout the novel there are many aphorisms, one liners and life advice. For example: "We should always make time for the things we like. If we don't, we might forget how to be happy”, and “A home isn't always the house we live in. It's also the people we choose to surround ourselves with." Did any particularly resonate with you?  
4. Klune has said (paraphrased): "I like making locations be as major of a character as the actual characters themselves. The orphanage is meant to feel lived-in, realistic even in the face of the fantastical. I want readers to hear every creak of the floor boards, every moment the building groans and settles.” Do you think he succeeded?
5. DICOMY exercises some questionable institutional overreach. The slogans give insight into their real purpose: “We are happiest when we listen to those in charge”, “A quiet child is a healthy mind”, “Who needs magic when you have your imagination” and “See something, say something. Registration helps everyone”. Thoughts?   
6. Interview Q: If you could write about anything in the world next, what would it be? KLUNE: Honestly? I’d want to write a bunch of shorter books starring Chauncey, where he’s the manager of a hotel, the bellhop, and he’ll also solve mysteries like who stole the diamond necklace from the woman in room 617? No worries, Chauncey’s on the case!  [interview 4/2023 –before the Cerulean sequel]
7. Music and rock musicians such as The Everly Brothers, Sam Cooke, Little Richard, The Big Bopper, Buddy Holly, et al., are throughout the story. How is music used in the story and in the characters’ lives? Why the attraction (for Lucy) to the trio killed on The Day the Music Died?