I think the larger point of that second insight — the intertwined questions of how much self one must sacrifice to be with another, and how much another can catalyze self-realization — characterizes Sookie’s journey through the series. Which is why I love it.

I’m so glad you liked the review! I agree with you on this point.

OTOH, Sookie wants someone else to rely on and to feel close to and, dare I say it, to *accept* her completely. Yet OTOH, she resists the way others try to define or control her. Clearly she wants her autonomy, but does that mean she will have to be alone? In a sense, the more self-aware and self-confident Sookie becomes, the more she begins to establish her own boundaries rather than rely on those others erect for her, but that can be lonely, too. The dilemma is so bittersweet, IMO, and so real as Harris draws it out.

There is a significant gendered component to this dilemma for Sookie, although not explicit in the text, IMHO.

I definitely agree with you that Harris is challenging some of the core conventions of Romance, but at the same time I sense a strong belief in — or at least hope for — love, both in Sookie and in the series as a whole.

I agree.

While I cannot understand the appeal Alcide continues to hold for readers,

Nor can I. I am halfway through the next book (which is my fave so far, BTW), and now I REALLY cannot understand the Alcide love.

I think that all of the males who have become involved with Sookie offer her something of value, something she wants and deserves in her life. Whether she will get all those things, though, is one of the biggest mysteries of the series, IMO.

I am so with you there. Any word on how long the series will be?

I think the larger point of that second insight — the intertwined questions of how much self one must sacrifice to be with another, and how much another can catalyze self-realization — characterizes Sookie’s journey through the series. Which is why I love it.

OTOH, Sookie wants someone else to rely on and to feel close to and, dare I say it, to *accept* her completely. Yet OTOH, she resists the way others try to define or control her. Clearly she wants her autonomy, but does that mean she will have to be alone? In a sense, the more self-aware and self-confident Sookie becomes, the more she begins to establish her own boundaries rather than rely on those others erect for her, but that can be lonely, too. The dilemma is so bittersweet, IMO, and so real as Harris draws it out.

I definitely agree with you that Harris is challenging some of the core conventions of Romance, but at the same time I sense a strong belief in — or at least hope for — love, both in Sookie and in the series as a whole. While I cannot understand the appeal Alcide continues to hold for readers, I think that all of the males who have become involved with Sookie offer her something of value, something she wants and deserves in her life. Whether she will get all those things, though, is one of the biggest mysteries of the series, IMO.

Scooper –I dislike Bill, too, but if I remember correctly, the scene where Bill appears is the first time he’s been spotted by the reader, ad maybe by Sookie, since a pretty dramatic breakup. And … nothing?

Dallas — Thanks!

And — can anyone comment on the claim in one of the reviews above that Sookie is an “unreliable narrator” — does this just mean she’s often in the dark, or that she’s wrong sometimes, or that she’s self-deceiving?

Your thoughts on memory loss and what it does to a person are very interesting…and I agree with you, there is no way Sookie is 100% human.

Hmmmmm. I think I really am going to have to read one of these, aren’t I?

Based on your reaction to My Lord Footman, you’d better not.