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Our book club in Seattle almost fell apart last month over 'The Silent Patient'.
Half the group thought the twist was brilliant, the other half called it a cheap trick, and the argument got so heated someone left early. We saved it by having everyone write down one thing they liked and one thing they hated before we talked, which forced us to listen. What's your go-to method for calming down a debate that's getting too personal?
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emeryfox10d ago
Seattle book clubs are hardcore. My method is to just start dramatically reading the most boring paragraph from the book out loud until everyone shuts up.
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terry_butler9d ago
Man, that's a solid trick. I see this everywhere, not just books. People get so locked into being right about a movie or a sports call that they forget they're talking to a friend. My move is to force a hard subject change for two minutes. Like, ask who wants another drink, or point out a weird dog walking by the window. It breaks the tension because you're all suddenly looking at the same neutral thing. Then you can circle back without the claws being out.
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