TMR 10.2: ”The Fact That” [Ducks, Newburyport]

Due to an unforeseen illness, Chad and Brian ended up going this one alone, and focus mostly on the way that "the fact that" functions, both in building the character and impacting the reader. Chad asks Brian some craft questions, they debate what makes a book "difficult" (and whether this is difficult or just long), more talk about mothers (go moms!), the difficulties of raising children, a hierarchy of fears, Shirley Jackson and Rochester, "Daily Carry," and much more. If for nothing else, you should listen to hear them read aloud from the novel—it's a book that's perfectly suited for being read aloud. After you hear these quotes, you will definitely want to read the whole thing.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. Next week's episode (up to page 231) will be broadcast live here. And you can discuss this book at the reactivated Goodreads Two Month Review Discussion Group.

This week's music is "Run" by pronoun.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And follow Patrick on Twitter and Instagram for hot takes and pictures of Vermont bookstores.

And be sure to preorder Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is coming out this fall from BOA Editions.

You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast.