The Perfect Adult Bedtime Story for Adventure Lovers
Book Club met this June to discuss our thoughts on Haydee’s Pick: I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger over pasta and coffee cake.
Book Club selected Haydee to pick the next title. So Haydee needed some inspiration to make her Book Club selection. She went to Google to find some books recommended by other book clubs. Thus, she found Enger’s I Cheerfully Refuse as Barnes and Noble’s Book Club Pick of the month. Haydee is a Book Club member who has an affinity for books with digestible language and romantic storylines.
Clearly, one could see why Haydee chose this book since it is described by Barnes and Noble as, “A big-hearted, hopeful novel that’s part adventure story, part love story, and a delight to read. The dialogue, characters and sense of place are unforgettable. Not to be missed by fans of Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility or Station Eleven.”
The story is set in a not-so-distant dystopian future, in which an oppressing class rules over the oppressed. The story follows the protagonist- the hero of this Hero’s Journey, Rainy. The read accompanies Rainy on his fantastical odyssey of maritime adventure as he sails the open waters of Lake Superior on his sailboat Flower.
The group described Enger’s prose style as whimsical. The book is narrating a story in a voice that feels like a close friend recounting a series of events that happened to him. Such language makes the story feel like a cozy escape into the world of this futuristic adventurer.