Six Degrees of Separation from The Slap to City of Bones

Finals are coming up, and I need a break from studying. It’s time for my second 6 Degrees of Separation, hosted by Kate @ Booksaremyfavoriteandbest. On the first Saturday of every month, readers and bloggers connect the selected book for the month to six other books, forming a chain. The books don’t all have to be related; each book only has to be related to the books next to it in the chain. You can also follow this meme on Twitter with the hashtag #6Degrees.

This month we’re starting with The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. The novel starts with a man slapping someone else’s child, which makes eight different friends who witnessed it examine their own families and conflicts.

Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty, also starts with a controversial act involving one child accusing another of choking her, after we realize a crime has happened. Of course, the accused claims nothing happened, which makes their mothers pick sides and launch a war. At least, that’s what the HBO series leads me to believe.

Another book (that I haven’t read) that was adapted into a one-season TV series is The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant. Lifetime adapted this book into two amazing episodes about Dinah, the sister of Joseph. The Red Tent is where the women went while they were menstruating.

Speaking of menstruation, I have always been impressed that Kelley Armstrong’s The Summoning shows a teen girl getting her first period. In this YA novel, a group of teens are brought to a home where they can get their powers under control. Spoiler Alert: the organization housing them is experimenting on them to use their powers for nefarious schemes. Dark Visions, a three-in-one book by L.J. Smith, also collects powerful teens under one roof where they are experimented on and used for nefarious reasons.

The one thing that sticks with me from that book is this moment where (spoiler for this book and the next) the leading girl is submersed in a tank of water. Tris in Divergent, by Veronica Roth, is afraid of drowning in a tank of water, which Jeanine makes her physically live out.

The cover of Divergent utilizes the skyline of Chicago, which I didn’t notice until I was working on this tag. The original cover of City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare, utilizes the skyline of New York City. A skyline gives a beautiful touch to a cover.

From assaulted children with crazy parents to dystopian and fantastical worlds, Christos Tsiolkas’ The Slap is separated six degrees from Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones. What does your chain from The Slap look like?

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