Sugar Queen Q&A Part 1

Since I needed to get my reading back on track, I decided to join Ms. Mia Maree and her new blog book club. The first selection for the new year is Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen.

 Below are the questions posted and my responses to the first section.

1. What are your initial thoughts of the book so far? I'm a little behind in reading because, honestly, this book has been a little hard to get into. It's not something I would have normally chosen, but I'm going to stick with it and hope it gets better!
2. Discuss and compare Josey's relationship with her mother and her father. Why do you think Josey decided to stay and take care of her mother? Do you think it was because of the fits she threw or do you think that there are other reasons? I think Josey knew that her mother was not interested in her from the start, so that is the reason for the behavior and attitude toward her mother. I think since her father was gone most of the time, she longed for his attention and doted on him. Because she was treated the way she was (with indifference), I think she felt like she would fit in  nowhere; that's the main reason for staying with her mother.
3. Discuss Josey's relationship with food. Why doe she hide this candy in her closet? Josey is so unhappy with her life, she relies on the pleasure she gets from eating sweets to get her through the day. She hides the food, because she know it would be looked down on and taken away. It seems to be her only pleasure in life.
4. Why do you think Josey's mom doesn't want Josey to feel pretty? For example, taking the red sweater off when it looks pretty on her. I'm not really sure on this one. It seems like her mother feels lonely and knows if Josey had confidence she wouldn't be around to care for her 24/7. Therefore, she makes Josey feel inadequate to be sure she sticks around.
5. Why do you suppose Josey was such a difficult child? What caused her to be that way? She was this way because she wanted attention. She longed for it. When children don't get the attention they want, they do whatever it takes to get attention, whether its positive or negative. She especially wanted the attention from her "absent" father.

As for the books I would like to see next month, I have a "wishlist" on my nook. On that list: These Things Hidden, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World.

Have you read Sugar Queen? What do you think of it?