What the heck did you make of this book? ;-)

Kate, you'll have to forgive me if I am usurping your authority here, but I needed more space for question #10! Especially the end.

I really liked the book, again aside from the conversations I couldn't ever dream (or want to dream) of keeping up with, and also aside from the perverseness of it. It was so unique, and like Karissa, I am intrigued by the thought experiment idea. I feel like it's one of those things just out of the reach of my mind. With exercising my mind maybe I would come to understand it.

My biggest question that I had while reading this book is what you all think your Tropospheres would look like? If you were to enter another person's mind, what would the doorway look like? Ariel thought men, in general, were sex shops. And her streets, in general again, were dingy, and rundown. It was always night. But we know that Lumas' Troposphere was little hamlet with cottages.

So how about you? I've come to realize that it's a bit of a hard question to answer. I think we have to look at ourselves and see how we see the world. Can I look at myself and see only what I hope I would see or what I would actually see.

Here's what I've come up with: I think my street would be older. Like early 1900s with ancient old trees standing guard over the cobblestoned boulevard. There would be flowers and lush grass on the divider and the sun would just be rising (or setting) directly down the center of the street.

Karissa, your mind would be set a bit back from the street. A huge lawn with wild flowers in your garden and a mishmash of a vegetable garden. And it would be a quaint home. Two stories, but almost like a farm house with a big wrap around porch.

Kate, your mind would be a flat in some mega-metropolitan city. But more like New York thank London, sorry : ) It would be right on the street and made of old stone. It fits in well on my street. When I look in the windows I see a very modernly, if not hodge-podged (and I mean that very well), decorated home.

Meagan, your mind would be a house on a cliff on the ocean. Not large like you see so often in the movies, but perfectly sized. You have windows everywhere. The lights are always on and the shades are never drawn. It's open and airy and the light shines all the way through it.

Suz, your mind would be a Parisian apartment. I would walk up the steps of a beautiful, old building and take the winding staircase up to your ornately carved French doors. You overlook all the beauty of Paris and the light makes the rooms sparkle through the beveled glass.

Katy, your mind would be a house COVERED in roses. Aside from the windows, roses wind themselves up the sides of a simple, ranch home. They are mostly red, but spots of white, pink and yellow burst through in places. And there is an immaculate, huge vegetable garden in the backyard. OH! And there is a chimney with smoke rising out of it.

OH! And for kicks, I think my mind would barely be visible from the road, lilacs and tulips would always be in bloom and tomatoes would always be ripe. The house itself is and old colonial with red brick and there are flowers spilling from boxes on every window. There are huge trees dotting the meadow it sits in the midst of and there is the perfect climbing tree with a perfect little perch looking out over the rest of my street : )

So yeah, that what I thought about a lot while I was waiting to fall asleep after reading the book for the night. And when I finished the book completely...

I didn't know what to think. I was confused for a good few days. The only thing I could think of was that as Adam and Ariel came to the edge of the Troposphere they came to Eden. But I so didn't, and still DO NOT, understand her last sentence.

"And then I understand."

It almost ruined the book for me, but I decided to let it go and not understand it. But I want to understand it... Any thoughts from you all?

Ummm... I think that's all I've got right now. Besides one other small tidbit: Did you all read the title as "The End of Mr. Why" or "The End of Mystery". A friend from work pointed out that if it the Mr. was Spanish or Latino, it would be pronounced mystery. Interesting thought to ponder since if Ariel and Adam live for eternity in the Troposphere then eventually there would be an end to mystery. Hmmmm...