I also think Klara’s path in life had to be influenced by the fact that she was named after her “Jaws of Death” grandmother.
I don’t think I want to know my death date but I know for a fact that I don’t want to know the death date of all around me. Would you? (The gypsy must have felt cursed rather than gifted.)
^ No, I would never want to know that! Thoughts about unexpectedly losing loved ones, and the capriciousness of life, are weighing heavy on my mind at the moment, as I just watched the news and am feeling so very sad for the families of the victims of the limo crash in upstate New York.
I wouldn’t like to know in the fortune-telling or knowing the future sense. However, I did find it very helpful when a nurse told my family a few hours before my dad died that he was going to die that day. Because of that, I was able to be with him during his final moments.
^ Yes, in that sense, it can be a blessing. The same thing happened to me when my dad passed away. I had spent the afternoon with him and was getting ready to go when his caregiver told me quietly, “Don’t leave.” He had years of experience with terminal patients, and thanks to his foresight, I was able to be at my dad’s bedside when he died.
So going back to Klara’s strawberry: magic, right? Except, after Klara’s death, when Daniel went by the trailer to pick some things up:
I wondered when I read it how - or even if - Klara’s strawberry and these moldy stems related.
On the same page (p.318) Varya and Daniel discuss Saul’s watch:
What had Daniel seen that unsettled him? The life Klara lived? Or the watch, passing from loved one to loved one to loved one after death unsettle him? I waited for more from the author but it never came, so I don’t really know. Thoughts, anyone?
Of all the children, I find Daniel the most sensitive. The dissolution of his family seems to affect him the most and he seems most capable of giving love. Simon and Klara seem more focused on themselves and Varya has too many issues.
Ah yes, the moldy strawberries. So what seems like magical realism is just Klara’s forgetfulness/blackouts due to alcoholism and/or mental illness. Or not. After the trick with the strawberry, Klara wonders:
So we are left to wonder, too.
My only explanation for refusing the watch is pretty much the same as yours (ignatius) – that he thought it was cursed in some way, but did not want to verbalize such a superstitious thought to Varya.
This article was written by the daughter of a friend who passed away last year, and coincidentally, it was published today. It’s somewhat off-topic from our book discussion (except for her opening line!), but speaks to a few of our posts upthread: https://itk.thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/410417-the-cost-of-not-talking-about-death-to-dying-patients
Just thought I’d share.
@Mary13, do you mind if I share that article on the Parents caring for the parent support thread? I think it’s a very good piece.
^^^ “The talk” is something for which I will always be grateful to my husband’s doctor for handling honestly and with respect. Treatment stopped and hospice started at the exact right time. Granted my husband’s doctor is an MD Anderson oncologist. I imagine he’s had to help far too many patients make the same decision.
@rosered55, please do.
Relevant link you posted @mary13, thanks.
Also, thanks to @ignatius for remembering the “magical” strawberry moment when Klara auditioned. I remember wondering how strange that seemed. So Klara had purchased them, perhaps in a drunken state.
Mary13 posted earlier how ironic Varya studied longevity.
There is evidence that reduced calories to the point of unducing hunger may prolong life.
This is a quality of life issue in my mind, not unlike the decision to decide about hospice.
I can’t imagine choosing hunger every day, is worth a longer life.
^^ Except only Raj drove the rental car and there wasn’t a grocery store within walking distance. So … definitely left up to the reader to think magic or try to come up with a logical explanation for the strawberry.
IMO, she was mentally ill, so she is an unreliable reporter. I think she drove to the store in a drunken stupor.
We can start thinking about our December book selection at any time. And, as always, the current discussion is still open, in case some people aren’t done with the book yet (like @jollymama)!
Coming off The Immortalists and heading into the holidays, I suggest we choose something uplifting this time around. Any warm-hearted classic on anybody’s to-read list?
Has anyone read "where the crawdads sing " ?
Don’t know if uplifting, read sample last night
Clock dance- Anne Tyler is uplifting
I guess that rules out The Heart’s Invisible Furies or The Great Believers
So how about Spinning Silver: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/03/books/review/naomi-novik-spinning-silver.html
and
@mathmom suggested Penelope Lively’s Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories a time or two ago.
@SouthJerseyChessMom gave Clock Dance 5 stars on Goodreads. 
I want to read November Road which came out yesterday. (I doubt it fits uplifting/charming parameters, though.)
@ignatius shhhh I didn’t want clock dance eliminated because I read it. I would reread it ! And, a 5 rating from me on goodreads often happens because I don’t finish so many books I don’t like- so if I finish it’s likely a high rating -
Friends book club just read “Eleanor Oliphant is completely Fine” tears and laughs I’m told
Oh I don’t want Clock Dance eliminated. I requested it from the library because I knew you really liked it. I thought saying you gave it five stars would be a positive thing to say.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine would be a good choice. Tears and LOL moments. I’ve read it but long enough ago to happily read it again.