Discussing a Great American Novel | The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow

It's a momentous occasion! Join us as we discuss Don Winslow's magnus opus The Power of the Dog with our wonderful international panel: ‪@blacknbluecollarreader‬ ‪@shelfunstable‬ ‪@RJGibson7‬ ‪@JosephReadsBooks‬
Fear not: there will be a non-spoiler and spoiler section!

[@JosephReadsBooks]

Thanks for hosting such a great chat. It was a lot of fun!

[@storytoob]

It really was! Thank you for being a part of it!

[@tgibridays]

I just finished it this weekend and loved it. A really powerful book. Loved hearing your discussion. I'm planning on jumping into the sequel here soon. I'm really feeling the crime itch at the moment.

[@storytoob]

Hope you enjoy The Cartel! Thanks for stopping by :)

[@blacknbluecollarreader]

Thanks for having me on!! This was a lot of fun. Looking forward to our Cartel discussion already. 🤟

[@storytoob]

Thank you for joining us, it was so fun! I’m looking forward to it too

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

I’m one of those readers out there who’s never read a non-sff crime thriller-this one seems like a must read though!

[@storytoob]

This would be a great one to start with! It sets the bar high 😂

[@AJM5K6]

I finished this book just over a month ago. I wish I had been here watching this live. First I loved this book. Loved it. I wasn't so sure about it in the beginning but once we got to Hell's Kitchen I was hooked. After I finished I had the worst "book hangover" I ever had. I knew it was done, I knew this book was done, I was satisfied with the ending but I wanted to witness it again. I was a breath away from reading it again, immediately, but I have such a book backlog... I digress. It took me weeks to realize why the book stuck with me though: The book had so many chances to be cliche. So many characters who when first introduced I thought would be throw away characters, introduced just to die, or introduced to do the predictable thing. Keller was introduced and I immediately thought he was going to be "torn between two worlds" given his heritage. I thought Nora was going to be the reward for doing the right thing. Sean could have been this Jack Reacher, unstoppable Dad-lit super hero who always did the right thing. Instead Keller was everyone's pain in the ass and just as relentless as anyone, self righteous, willing to sacrifice anything to get what he wanted. Nora was smart and, I felt, the only person who saw her situation truthfully and was always planning to get out, something like retirement. And Sean, despite his lethality, his cold exterior didn't just feel guilt but felt trapped. He wanted out but just couldn't do it. I look forward to the Cartel but I may reread The Power of the Dog before I read its sequel.

[@storytoob]

Amazing comment thank you! We agree with everything! Although if that's a slight knock on "dad-lit" then we got a problem 😜😆 Reacher is peak autism-lit hahaha

[@AJM5K6]

@@storytoob LOL Oh no I wasn't trying to 'yuck anyones yum' especially when it comes to reading. I was just trying to explain how I thought Sean was going to be when I first realized what he was.

[@storytoob]

Oh I know I'm just messin with ya!

[@AJM5K6]

@@storytoob I am going to subscribe now!

[@wibre8753]

I read the entire Cartel trilogy last summer, and taken together the novels are just a monumental achievement, perhaps the greatest work of social realism so far in the 21st century. The last book, The Border, might be a slight step down from the previous two, but when the writing quality is so high and the intensity is maintained so consistently, it's tough to complain very much.

[@storytoob]

I (Yolanda) agree on both your points (the monumental achievement and The Border being the weakest of the three). I’m looking forward to rereading all three soon - I haven’t read The Cartel and The Border since publication

[@nazimelmardi]

Ok, it’s rarely happening that I never even heard of a famous book…. not even the title… I have to google…