The House in the Cerulean Sea

Welcome to Books I Make My Husband Read, a self-described hilarious and heartfelt podcast where I, Kristy, the devoted book lover, curate an unexpected reading list for my husband, Jon. And that's me. Each episode, we'll dive into lively discussions, humorous debates, and surprising insights on the books Kristy just has to make me read. We're here to explore everything from timeless classics to quirky hidden gems, challenging our perspectives and inviting you to join in on the fun. So settle in, grab your favorite beverage, and get ready for another literary adventure.

Hello listeners and welcome to season two, episode six of Books That Make My Husband Read. I'm your host Kristy. And I'm your co-host Jon, the one that Kristy makes read all the books. Against his ever loving will. Ever loving. This week we'll be discussing The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, a heartwarming and whimsical tale about a caseworker who discovers love, family, and acceptance at an orphanage for magical children. I laughed, I cried.

I did all the other things in between. a t-shirt to prove it? No, but I can make one. Yeah, this was a very wonderful book. A nice little change of pace. So I'm excited to talk about the Antichrist, you know, because he's in this one. Yes. And I do realize that it is a story about magical beings, but it's really a story about humanity, in my opinion. yeah, absolutely. But before we get into that...

We want to remind our listeners that the next two books in our lineup are going to be Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez and The Trade-Off by Samantha Greene Woodruff. I am unfamiliar with this one. is a historical fiction novel set in the 1920s. okay. Fun. Remember, all of you listening, that you can see these two books and the rest of the lineup from season two as well as everything from season one.

by visiting our website, booksimakemyhusbandread.com or by following us on Instagram @booksimakemyhusbandread. That was said with such contempt. It's forced upon me. While you're on Instagram, you can drop us a comment or send us a DM if you have a question that you'd like answered on the show, or you can email us at booksimakemyhusbandread@gmail.com. Great.

How about we get into the spoiler free book summary? Let's do it. Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At 40, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a caseworker at the department in charge of magical youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by extremely upper management,

He's given a curious and highly classified assignment. Travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside. A gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a werepomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they're likely to bring about the end of days. But the children aren't the only secret this island is keeping. Their caretaker is the charming and

enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his ward safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long held secrets are exposed and Linus must make a choice, destroy a home or watch the world burn. Burn it down. Burn it down. Okay then, warning! If y'all stick around past this point, you might get burned by some major spoilers. Major spoilers? Major spoilers.

What did someone do to you as a child?

Oh, goodness. Well, let's talk about what we thought of this book. Why don't you kick us off? I love this book. I read it several years ago, probably been five years now. And to me, it's a book about humanity. It's about how we treat people, how we bring our own biases into situations.

and giving people a chance and not judging books by their cover and people by their covers. It has so much good in it that I thought about it or I thought about it until I just reread it. But I would think about it all the time. It is a book that I always recommend to people. And I read it again to prepare for this. And I just loved it even more the second time around. I read it the first time, loved it. I listened to it on audio, also loved it.

It's a single narrator, but he does, in my opinion, a really great voice for each of the children. And it just made me feel warm and cozy and ooey gooey inside. Ooey gooey. I also loved it. I assumed you were done. I'm done. OK. Yeah. Thanks for cutting me off. You're welcome. It was wonderful. was a feel good story. Pulled out your heartstrings.

every single thread of them. And yeah, I agree. It was definitely a book about humanity and about seeing past the obvious and trying to look at people for who they are and not just what they are. So I gave it a five. Five stars. You ready to dive in some of these questions? Sure. All right. So this is not a question I always ask, but I feel like I hyped this book up a lot.

And it's not the first time I recommended this book to you. In fact, even before the podcast was a thing, I remember recommending it to you. So I'm curious what your expectations were going into the book and did it live up to the hype or did it surprise you? Yeah, I did go into it with some pretty high expectations. And so with that, it was actually a little not difficult to get into. That's not the phrase I'm trying to think of, but it made me like.

Analyze it maybe a little bit more subconsciously to start with but then it not long into it that kind of faded off and I just started to enjoy the book for what it was instead of trying to think of what I thought was supposed to be because you were hyping it up so much, but it didn't disappoint at all It was different than what I thought it was going to be going into it But not in a bad way or anything. It was it actually probably wound up being better I thought it would maybe be a little bit darker for some reason

Does it have the Antichrist in it? It has the Antichrist in it, yeah. But it was just a really wonderful and heartfelt story. Yeah. I think that it obviously has a message to it, but it does it in a way that is, I think, reachable and digestible for everyone to say, I do that, or I could be better at that, or the world could be better at that. So our main character is Linus. He is a caseworker for...

Dyke and me, which is the department in charge of magical youth. Do you feel like you connected with him and how did you feel about his transformation as a character throughout the book? I really enjoyed his arc and his development from where he started. His 40 year old dude working the same job for 17 years. Clearly the job itself, like the office environment is.

anything, even the world that they sort of describe that he's in and this like, it's always rainy, it's cloudy and gray, not a lot of color. But even despite all that, he enjoys the piece of his job or he's really cares about the children that he's going to evaluate, I guess, or investigate or whatever. I think I connected with him in the sense of trying to find color in your life, which is a theme throughout kind of the whole book. I think one of the

storylines that I liked about him the most is he has more strength within himself than he realizes or that he kind of gives himself credit for. He, you know, subconsciously or consciously standing up for these children at every sort of turn, but not really aware of the impact that he's having by doing that either. Well, I think that he finds his voice when he's on the island.

Partially because he maybe feels like he doesn't have that but also because he's been so stifled He's been follow the rules follow the rules follow the rules because that is what is in place in the world that he's living in Because the whole if you see something say something we're all better when we follow the rules and so that's been conditioned into himself

So when he's given the opportunity to speak more freely, to have a voice, to be in a position of protecting these children, I think that he just like finds it there because it's allowed. That he's given permission in a way, know, like an unspoken permission that he feels like he hasn't had before. Yeah, I think that's a great point. I think being able to find one's voice is just an important part of life in general. You know, you kind of grow up with these thoughts and these traits and then you

kind of discover who you are as an individual. And a lot of people tend to fight that because they're like, I shouldn't be this way, or this isn't how it's supposed to be, or this isn't quote unquote normal or whatever. until you sort of find that freedom to spread your wings, which is another analogy at the end of this book, it's empowering. It's an empowering moment in your life. And it's kind of freeing too. It's like you kind of lose the weight of the world a little bit, which I think.

Linus did like he felt this weight on him and then when he finally got to the island he was able to express on these things like lightness sort of came came to him. I mean it took him a little bit to shed his previous conditioning Brainwashing and whatever you want to call it about how things should be so he was very Still he was very much still in the mindset of like we have these rules. We have this structure

The structure helps us, the structure protects us. And then as you're saying, slowly, like layer by layer, he actually, in a way, like he becomes more human by being around beings that aren't completely human. They humanize him, even though he's the actually only human there. Yeah, that's a great point. Let's transition to talk about some of the kiddos at the orphanage.

Did you have a favorite child and then what did you like about them? They were all wonderful. Please enjoy each child equally. Nicely done. I think I resonated with Sal quite a bit. And that you sometimes turn into a Pomeranian when you're scared. Yep. Yep. Well, the metaphor of, you know, you can take a physical space, but you can also still feel really small. There was a scene in the book when

Sal allows Linus into his room and the scene with the desk and pulling the desk out of the closet and so they could face the look out the window for inspiration. Like that whole scene, I just felt was really powerful. That one resonated with me. I thought that Talia and Linus were hilarious. Sorry, Talia and Lucy were hilarious and...

Chauncey. How could we not love Chauncey? He was a hoot. Just such a huge heart-spirited kind of kid, even though he was the one that had been called a monster the most, and because he looked the most different from anybody else. He was a green blob with antenna eyeballs and... Kind of translucent. Yeah. I think... Yeah, I think...

So Al and Chauncey were probably my two favorite. What about you? I love Talia. She's hilarious. She's witty and snarky and she constantly talks about bashing Linus over the head with a shovel so she can bury him in his garden. Yes. And she's mostly joking. Mostly joking. And...

Lucy's great too. His little speeches that he would, Lucy's a boy, it's short for Lucifer. This is the one that's Antichrist, if you haven't read it. And he would, like, I am the bringer of darkness and end of days. And he would go off into these speeches on, I don't know what I'm going to say. Like these rants or these? Oh yeah, he would go off on these rants. It was really just to intimidate or.

be funny or whatever else, but he was not serious about it. I really appreciated his character. And then Lucy and Talia together, especially when they go into the town. my God. That whole scene at the record store and the hardware store is classic. Classic. So fun. I remember texting you about when I was reading that part too. was like, my God. So good. So good.

Yeah, I agree. think both of those had a sort of shock factor to them, but they were still just kids, right? And so they knew who they kind of where they came from or what they were, what they were like supposed to project, but that didn't necessarily mean or turn out to who they were. Right, right. Like there were so much more than that. But that's a huge theme of the book. If society is going to tell you, you are only this thing.

You are only a gnome. You are only the antichrist. You are only a blob. That is what you are going to rise to be. Yep. Yep. So let's talk about Chauncey. Aw. He's such a lovable and sweet character. It's clear he wants to grow up and help people. While there are many professions in which people help others like doctors or firefighters, why do you think the prospect of being a bellhop specifically entices him so much?

That just slayed me through the whole book. was like, a bellhop, really? And he would stand in the mirror and practice greeting people. Hello, Hello, madam. Welcome to the Everland Hotel or whatever it was called. Yes, it was very endearing. So I think that the reason he chose it, well, maybe not the reason he chose that, but the reason why he wasn't looking to be a firefighter

police officer or some other like service profession, because to him, it wasn't really about the prestige or the like excitement of the job itself. It was really just about the opportunity to be a service to others. And, you know, for a green blob who had been really bullied for his whole life up before he got to Marsyas, I just feel like he was really deeply motivated by-

and he had this desire to have a positive impact on the world, like a complete opposite of the way that he was sort of treated. he just had a pure heart and he wanted to belong somewhere. And he felt like this was a role in his eyes that could really kind of symbolize helpfulness and hospitality and qualities that he wasn't really given growing up before Marsyas. What did you think? I agree. I think that he was in it as exactly as you say.

for the fact of being in service to other people, not for the prestige of it. He didn't need to save lives to have an impact. He was just looking, I think, to change the narrative on how people saw him and that he could bring kindness to that. And that's not always a attribute that we see in our doctors or firefighters. So as a bellhop, you were in conversation and in company with people every day and how you treat them matters so much. Yeah, he was...

He was just such a treat. Yes. All right. Moving on to Lucy, Linus and Lucy bond over their love of music and artists such as the Everly Brothers, Sam Cooke, Little Richard, the Big Bopper and Buddy Holly are mentioned. Why is music such a large part of the story? What role does it play in the characters' lives? I love this part of the story. I can obviously totally relate to this part. I think I'd be friends with Lucy for his love of music as well.

I think the part that it plays in this story is not all that dissimilar from what the part that music plays in our real world is that it's really sort of the great unifier. It cuts through class and race and everything else that you can bond over music no matter who you are or where you come from. And I think that was kind of the part that this was trying to say. The way that music comes up in this book a couple times too, there was like one part where Arthur comes to the guest house.

to visit Linus, to bring him a record player. And inside that is a, it almost seems like it's a mixed record somehow, which I don't know how that'd be possible, but the way that Linus explained it is like all these different artists on one album anyway, but they were all love songs and, you know, kind of communicating or the underlying wave of the attraction and the relationship that was being built between Linus and Arthur. I thought that was also a really unique and fun play of how music appeared in the book.

What did you think? How did you feel music played in? I agree that music is a unifier, but music also like books because it is speech is also inherently political and it is a artist way of getting a message across or their thoughts across or whatever else. So I think that music allowed the children in Linus as well.

to explore different parts of themselves, to be exposed to different ways of thought as well. And I think that played a central theme in the book, that there are these ideas that maybe I have that I'm not allowed to have, or I think but I'm not sure are okay. And I think that music for a lot of people, myself included, allows me to process things, allows me to see things from a different point of view.

So I think that in the book that it does this as well. Yeah, that's a great point. Very astute. Thank you. read for now while books are legal.

Burn it down. So body size is mentioned quite often throughout this book in various ways. Linus always attempts to shrink himself both literally and figuratively. And you mentioned this with Sal as well. Can you explain the dichotomy between him and being a larger person yet seeming to try to take up little or no space? And then how does size have an impact on the overall story? I think the physical size

is potentially a metaphor for the voice he does or does not have. In the beginning, he tries to appear small and always says, excuse me, when he's bumping into desks and that sort of thing because I feel like he doesn't want to be seen. He doesn't feel important. He doesn't feel like he has a voice or even knows what words to say if he was allowed to say them. And with Sal, it was kind of a different story. He...

The space is more about fear. I think the reasons for shrinking are different between Sal and Linus, but I think the objective is the same, to not be seen, to protect yourself in an effort, or sorry, to not be seen in an effort to protect yourself. Yeah, right, I agree. Just like lack of confidence too, especially in Linus' case. Right, for sure. But then as the book progresses, and I think the real turning point for

Linus was when he decided to put on the adventure outfit and go on the adventure with the kids that one Saturday. When he puts on the adventure outfit, did you picture the boy from up dressed as a little boy because that's what I did. that's hilarious. Yes, absolutely. Yes. It's a little real ton and a little like bouncy. yeah. That's awesome. But I think that was a.

turning point for him because when he first gets and he looks at it, he's like, no way, not a chance. yeah, I love that. he's still drawn to it. It's like he's trying, like he wants so bad to come out of his shell or do something that he actually wants to do, but he's nervous or scared to do it because he's not supposed to, or it's not part of the rules or whatever. So I don't know that that has to do with the size.

I think that that is driven a lot by his need to follow the rules and he's not supposed to be getting close to these children. He's supposed to be an objective observer. So I think that was the motivation behind him not at first like thinking about going on the adventure, less than his size. Yeah, but I think the underlying metaphor is similar though, where the size is.

confidence or having a voice or whatever. And he's like, here's something that I is out of my comfort zone and want to go do. I don't think the two are, I mean, I think that there's a lot of things probably that overlap with themes in the book, but I don't necessarily see the throughput of that to that.

For me, Linus really starts to find his voice, especially when they go to the town. And then we see him throughout the book, like eating salads the whole time, even like without dressing because he's trying to lose weight or thinks he needs to lose weight. And then he finds his voice in the village and he eats ice cream. So I see that as like, he's not confident. He sees his size as bigger than he should be, that it's not accepted.

And so he has to make himself small, which gives him a small voice because he's trying not to be seen. He's following the rules. And then he steps out of that and he's like, well, I can have some fucking ice cream too. Yeah, that's true. The point about him finding his voice in the village. Again, not that it has anything to do with size, but him finding his voice. each moment, each interaction with the postmaster guy, he was getting more bold where he was like,

He stormed out and didn't say goodbye or whatever. How dare him? How dare he? He almost turned around and said, apologize for it, but then he didn't. So I think all those little moments are, like you said, of threaded around a similar theme. Yeah. I mean, those are my thoughts. don't know. I'm not spoken to Mr. Clune to know that that was his intention. All right. Let's talk about Arthur as a character and a caretaker. How did you feel about him? Did the slow reveal of his backstory work?

for you. Arthur was wonderful. I liked his character from the very beginning, really the very first dialogue kind of serious conversation that he had with Linus. It was kind of like philosophical. I think it was. I was like, oh, this guy point of view. I was like really intrigued by and I actually, I would like to sit down with Arthur and have a conversation. I think that'd be fun and talk about Kant. Yeah. Even though I had to look up who that was. Yeah.

But I thought his reveal over the course, you really built up so much respect for him, I think, through the whole book, the way that he carried himself, the way that he challenged the kids in a really meaningful way and allowed them to be themselves while still sort of maintaining growth and healthy growth and structure and that sort of dynamic.

I called, so there were a couple of thoughts that I had about Arthur. One, I thought he was going to be Lucy's dad for a hot second, like early on, but that turned out not to be true. I did actually also think that he was going to be the phoenix. There was the point where he made a reference about the phoenix or him and Linus are talking about a phoenix. And then he kind of pauses and has a reflection about, I often think about the man that that phoenix became or whatever. so that stuck with me.

And when it was revealed later at the end, was like, I knew it. But I thought his backstory, the reveal at the end was tragic and incredibly heartbreaking. And it was really, it gave some clarity as to why he wanted to maybe not only prove to himself, but prove to others that even where you came from and how you were treated early on, you could still become something different, something better. And I think he's instilling those same lessons into the kids because he lived through them.

That's sort of my initial take on Arthur. What did you think of Arthur overall through the book? I think I had very, if I'm remembering the very first time that I read it, I think I thought similar to you about Arthur possibly being related to Lucy, even though that would have made him the devil, I guess. But there are multiple mentions of him being like hot to the touch or warm.

And then he finds a place that has like scorches and burn marks. So we see that. I mean, I really enjoyed his character. I think that it made sense for him to also be a magical being given how much care and empathy he has toward the children. And you see him do the same thing with Linus that he does with these children who come to him that.

He reframes their mind, not by telling them, he's showing them what safety means. He's allowing them to be themselves, like within boundaries, but he's not saying like how you look or who you are is fine. He is letting them explore who they are and then guiding them in a way that.

shows them that it's okay without just like, someone can tell you something a thousand times. Like it's okay Lucy, that you're the Antichrist, even though they don't say that word in the house. And that you are what people think is bad and evil and like all these things. But instead he allows Lucy to explore who Lucy really is. Instead of like Lucy, you're only the Antichrist. Well, he loves music. He's a very smart. He...

is somewhat of a leader on their adventures, even though he sends other people in. But he's also six years old. So there's room for that. But he allows each child to be themselves instead of what they're only told that they are. And he really does the same thing with Linus. He lets Linus discover that there's a different way of doing things, that he doesn't have to

follow the rules, but instead of saying like, don't always have to follow the rules, he lets Linus be himself and he's showing them that there's a different way instead. Yeah, he's allowing them to come to that conclusion on their own as opposed to being told like, know, Lucy, someone like Lucy could be like, this is who I am. Right. And as opposed to just like giving them that space and that openness to question it and then finding other things that they gravitate to and then leaning into that and feeding that good part for them.

Yeah, and I think that's the whole point of their personal pursuits, that they can go do the things that they want to do instead of having the structure of, you have to do this and you have to learn this and you have to think this. What a good leader. Right. I did know that, or I did suspect when I first he was a magical being because of the whole, Arthur has a way of knowing everything that's going on on the island. Sure. Well, because he's flying around looking at it.

It seems like, guess. Right, right. Yep. And that scene when he leaves the guest house and Linus says he sees like a flash of orange from the outside or something like that. was like, okay. I'm guessing he took off into the sky. Yeah, yeah. The book critiques blind rule following and bureaucratic systems. Did you feel that message was effective or too on the nose? I think that can be both. Very effective and very pointedly on the nose.

It was satirical. I don't know if that's the right word, but I think the book really kind of nails this theme on the head with the impacts on what groups think and blind following can lead to, especially the scene at the very near the end of the book where a handful of villagers are gathering because they're going to theoretically storm the island. And as soon as they're questioned with like, well, what were you really going to do there? Were you going to

beat these children? you going to like, once they start questioning it, then they're like, oh, well, that's not what we were going to do with them. Then what was your point? And they had this whole dialogue and they just dispersed because they really didn't have a plan. They were just like blindly following each other in this, know, mob mentality, mob mentality of, you know, rooted in hatred and unknowing. So what did you think? I mean, how'd you take the rule following theme in the book? No, I think that

It is told through like a satirical lens. And I know we think of that as usually dark humor in storytelling with like when we think of satire, but anytime you're like ridiculing a system or a thing, like that's through storytelling, it's satire. So I think TJ Clune does a wonderful job of this in a way that makes you feel warm and fuzzy while getting a really important message across. And you're absolutely right about that scene toward the end of the book and the mom mentality and.

Like what would have happened if they would have went through it and like all those things and having typically like bad endings. Yeah. Yeah. So, so along the same lines, the story addresses prejudice and the fear of the other through a magical lens. Did that allegory land for you? Yeah, absolutely. I think it took a really sensitive topic and made it extraordinarily approachable, not just with the fact that they're children, but that they're

you like you said, a magical lens, they're magical youth. And so there was like a whole nother level of being different and that sort of thing. And so I thought the whole theme was just really beautifully written and made it very easy to talk about, right? Like in a subject matter that is otherwise can be often triggering and defensive. also think that, and I know this book isn't like a children's book, but I do think that it definitely

can be read by a younger group of people. Yeah, I agree. age group. And so I think that it is done in a way that would allow parents or anyone raising children to have conversations that maybe they find to be tough and address some issues that, like, you can talk about these characters and, what did you think about this one? And how do you feel about how they treated this person? Or what would you have done in this situation? Why do you feel that way?

Absolutely. Really not dissimilar from the Inside Out movies from Pixar. Like how they are characterizing emotions in a way that allows parents to have conversations with their kids about something that is often seen as taboo or difficult to talk about. What did you think of their romance between Arthur and Linus? Was it satisfying or underplayed?

It was lovely. a zero spice if you haven't read this book. It's not, that's not what it is. But there is a budding romance. There is. I thought it, I thought it was beautifully written. I thought it was the perfect amount for this story. This wasn't a romance book. This was a book about humanity and prejudice and seeing beyond the what's right in front of you. And I thought that their budding romance was really an effective, just a great way to sort of

carry the storyline of Linus's self-discovery as well and sort of like the comfort of who he's becoming and having his own voice and allowing himself to be seen and be loved by another person. So I thought it was wonderful. I thought it was super sweet. And I came to tears at the end when he came back to the island and he's like, ask me again, ask me again to stay. And it was just very heartwarming. I was kind of bawling.

Yeah, it was a tear-jerker. It was. Yeah, I agree plus one to everything you said. I guess I didn't think about their relationship in relation to Linus's own journey and I guess maybe the specificity in that, but you're right, giving him permission to be who he really is or wants to be instead of these constraints that he feels like have been put on him. Yeah, and just to be seen in general.

We've said his whole point was to not be seen, to fall to the background and not engage and that sort of thing. And so allowing himself to be seen that way, I thought was just a really beautiful way to write that in. So at the heart of the novel is the importance of surrounding yourself with people who feel like home and finding a place where you wholeheartedly belong. How do you personally define home? I agree with how the book defines it. It's not a place.

You and I moved around multiple places and each place has felt like home, some more than others, but each place has felt like a home because we've been there together. And I think that's really what defines it. Now I'm going to add a little subplot to that because- No subplots. You also do a wonderful job of making each place that we are in feel like a home. and not just because you're here, but the-

the care that you take into all the things that you decorate and the way that you choose things and that sort of stuff. So each place that we've lived, Wait, wait, wait, wait. Physical building along the way. So you like my design choices and style. Most of the time. And this is why you are the design assistant. Not the person who gets to choose the furniture. Yes, I know. I know. I'm a-

Chip to your Joanna. I can't build shit though. Anyway, but back to the question. Yes, you do. You just do it in a digital space. Sure, sure, sure. You can't do what you do. I promise you that. Fair. Less tangible, but fair. It's not any less tangible. We live in a digital world. Do we live in a material world?

You can't sit on what you make, but people use the things you make every day. Sure, It's back to the question. That's how I define home. I'm going to assume that you define it the same way, but enlighten me if you do not. My definition is extremely different. Please do tell. So, no, I'm just kidding. But I think of home as in...

I don't remember which movie it is, but when Himdall tells Thor that Asgard is not a place, it's a people. And so I think of that for my home. Like my home is not a place because we have lived in many places and my home is where you are. That's the end of my answer. How heartfelt of you. Yeah.

All those romance books that you're reading are not helping. My evil plan is not working. This is only season two.

Patience. Patience, Iago. I did not give you this question ahead of time. So a lot of the characters in this book could not be played by people if there was a film adaption of this book. So of the six children, are there any of them who you thought of a voice and you would cast that person as the voice of them?

This isn't fair. didn't have time to deep search IMDb for this people you don't know. I've never heard this person's voice. No, but it would be amazing.

It's fine, I I just wanted to throw one at you. I didn't, I mean, I listened to some of this. This was actually also a side by, the first book that I both listened to and physically read, which was kind of fun. How did you like that? Good, I actually- Bouncing between them? Yeah, it wasn't too bad. I actually missed having a book in my hand, but I had, I allowed the narrator's voices of the characters to sort of permeate my head, and I didn't really leave from that.

You're asking this question, so I'm assuming you've, you had a few in your mind as you were reading slash listening. Well, the one I already told you is if you have seen, now this person is probably dead because this claymation came out a long time ago. But if you have seen Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and you remember the, no, it wasn't, it was a Charlie in the Box from the Island of Misfit Toys.

That is Chauncey's voice. That is 100 % Chauncey's voice. I'm not going to attempt to do it because we have no terrible impressions. No, that's not going to happen. But if you know, then you know. Yeah, I could absolutely hear that. That's funny. Do you think Cricket from Big City Greens could be like Lucy? Maybe. That'd be fun. That'd be fun. I don't know who voices him, but that person.

No, I really didn't have any. It was just kind of a random thought that came into my head because we had talked about the Chauncey thing and I didn't know if he maybe heard other voices. Yeah, I mean, I hear voices all the time, but I don't tell people about him. It's probably a good idea.

All right, so true final question. Do you have any final thoughts you wanted to share on the book? And then of course, would you recommend this one to our listeners? Yeah, this was a different book than you've had me read before, I felt like, but I really enjoyed it. I really don't know how to describe it. Like it was magical realism. know it was magical realism. Okay. I mean, they're set in a world that has a lot of the same things that we have. Yeah. Okay. So again, like

The way that you talked about it and hyped it up and what I had in my head going into it to what it was, it was just a wonderful surprise. It was lovely. And I think with everything going on in the world right now, it was just a nice read with a good, happy ending. And I loved it. I I loved it. I think I would absolutely recommend it to people. Anyone, anyone, I don't, I think this one. Anyone, anyone, be alert.

I think this one spans, like, even if you only read thrillers or blah, blah, I just, I think people would enjoy this book. So go read it. Yes, I would recommend it as well. I think the theme is that it takes courage to change hearts and minds. And the book does a really wonderful job at telling that story. Yeah. yeah. That made me think of the theme towards the end. I think that it's Helen who says it first to it.

who is the mayor of the village, she says, I don't know, said, Arthur, doesn't matter. Like change starts with the minds of a few or the voices of a few, voice of a few, something like that. And I was like, oh, that's stuck. Yep, it's so true. Well, we wanted to remind everyone that the next two books in our lineup are Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez and The Trade-Off by Samantha Greene Woodruff.

And as always, don't forget that a free way to support our show is by leaving us a review and rating us on Apple podcasts. Also, if you don't want to rate us, but you have a question, remember that you can email us at booksimakemyhusbandread@gmail.com, or you can send us a DM on Instagram. We always love to hear from listeners. And we'll send you some swag. And we will. I sent out some swag this week. if you like the show, please tell a friend. Share the love. I guess that's it.

Is it? Is that another one in the books? Sure is. I put it back on your bookshelf. Well, who knows? Maybe this will be the one your husband reads. He should. And then he should talk about it with you because it's lovely and it's about humanity and it's a feel good and it'll bring you closer together and it's awesome. And then he should listen to this podcast and also write it and review it.

Okay then, TTFN. Bye bye!

See ya, dude!

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