60MBC5: Discussion time!
Join us next Tuesday 27 May to discuss Daphne du Maurier's 'The Apple Tree'.
Happy Friday everyone,
It’s been a beautiful week here in Valencia: the sun has been out every day and I even found time for a quick swim to wake me up before work yesterday.
But even the sunniest days can surprise us with a sudden chill, and our short story for this month, Daphne du Maurier’s ‘The Apple Tree’, certainly brought a few shudders.
If you’ve read Rebecca, you’ll already know du Maurier’s talent for creating a slowly-suffocating atmosphere with strong threads of ambiguity woven through, and ‘The Apple Tree’ is no different.
It’s part-ghost story, part-psychological study, with plenty to provoke us on the topics of guilt, grief, and, well, simmering resentment?!
This was the first time I read this du Maurier story and I think by the time I finished it my face resembled the grimacing emoji: 😬
What about you? Drop your reactions (and symbolic emojis!?) in the comments.
Not quite finished the story yet? Don’t worry. ‘The Apple Tree’ clocks in at well under an hour’s reading time, so you still have time to read it before our discussion next Tuesday 27 May at 6pm CEST (full details below).
If you’re planning to come along, just reply to this email, drop me a comment, or let us all know in the subscriber chat, it’s always lovely to know who’s coming.
📆 60MBC5: ‘The Apple Tree’ discussion
When? Tuesday 27 May
What time? 6 PM CEST (9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm BST)
How? We'll connect via Google Meet. For privacy reasons, the link will be shared in our subscriber chat only. If you have any trouble finding it, please reply to this email directly.
Not subscribed yet? Join now for free, you don’t need to be a paid subscriber to participate.
What to expect: Sixty minutes of informal chat about the story, your impressions, and your questions. No prior analysis needed, just show up with your thoughts, a drink, and an open mind. These sessions are always friendly and fun: whether you’ve been to a few or are pondering your first, you’ll be made to feel welcome.
Here's an idea of what we’ll discuss:
What did you make of the narrator? Did you trust him? Did you like him? How did your view of him (and his wife) shift as the story unfolded?
Did you read the story more as psychological realism or something more supernatural?
What role does the setting play in the story’s growing tension?
Do you think the eponymous apple tree is a metaphor… or something else entirely?
How does du Maurier use guilt, grief, and memory to shape the plot?
Feel free to bring your own questions or reflections - the more, the better!
And don't forget to join the chat for the Google Meet link!
See you then.
Emma x
Can’t wait for the recap. 🫶🏻 unfortunately, I work until 6pm but I’ve loved following along with the reading. 🤩