The real beginning

Hope kc doesn't mind if I post a question — I've been trying to keep this component fresh in my mind — I love the calamitous way so many storylines combine into this final, and very simple, decision by Mr. M to throw two ballots into the trash. I've been trying to piece together what the beginning was, really. Although it's a story largely told in order, with some ominous reflections from Mr. M and Tracy at the start, a lot of the catalysts are off-camera. It's not a "whose fault" question, per se, but to go back and pick out a beginning, the characters spend little time engrossed in those developments. And I thought what an interesting thing for the author to do, to play around with the timeline, the reflections and the characters we don't hear from (Jack!) who are so essential to the events that unfold.

Teacher

So, all of us having lived through high school — and Ms. Little having taught it! — can you think of a situation where if you were the teacher you'd be sorely tempted to rig an outcome?

Children

I've read "Little Children" by this same author, and a theme in that book was how the adults mostly behaved in ways that were rationally indistinct from how the little kids behaved, even though the adults had this veneer of maturity and rationality covering their behaviors. I'm wondering if something similar is going on here with the way the author seems to give the adults and the kids similar voices, as if to underline that they are all really the same, differing only in age.

Cheating

I started to write a post about the pervasive infidelity in the book (Mr. M., Mr. Dexter, Paul and Tammy's dad —— and Tracy's dad?). Why is everyone being unfaithful? But then it occurred to me that there's a broader theme of "cheating" in the book, especially with all the election shenanigans —— cheating for thrills, cheating out of desperation, cheating to win, cheating to spite, being unfaithful to others, being unfaithful to oneself, one's values. I don't know. Is the whole "election" concept maybe some metaphor for how we make choices, how we "elect" to live our lives and then try to rationalize those largely irrational decisions?

Narrative voices

What did you think of the narrative voices? Were the styles distinct enough to ring true as individuals? Do you think the high school students' voices were done well? I'll go ahead and say that I found the voices almost too similar, but also that it didn't bother me because the story was so engaging.

Characters

Was there any character in the book to whom you were not sympathetic?

The candidates

Whom would you have voted for, in high school and now?