Our book group choice for March 2018 is Man With a Seagull on His Head by Harriet Paige. A gull falls from the sky and strikes a council worker on the beach below.
On the morning of his fortieth birthday, Ray Eccles goes for a walk on the beach. He is a unremarkable man, with a unremarkable job and an unremarkable life. But on this day, something extraordinary happens. A seagull falls from the sky and strikes Ray on the head, knocking him unconscious.
When Ray wakes up, he is different. He is filled with a newfound sense of creativity, and he is compelled to paint. But not just any painting. He is obsessed with painting the image of a woman he saw at the moment of impact. A woman he has never met before.
Ray’s paintings are strange and beautiful, and they quickly attract attention. He is taken under the wing of a wealthy couple, George and Grace Zoob, who are collectors of outsider art. The Zoobs introduce Ray to the art world, and his paintings soon become the talk of the town.
But while Ray’s art is celebrated, he himself remains a mystery. He refuses to talk about his inspiration, and he seems to be driven by forces beyond his understanding. The only thing that is clear is that he is deeply in love with the woman he saw on the beach. A woman he calls “She.”
Meanwhile, the woman herself, Jennifer Mulholland, is also struggling to understand what happened to her. She is married to a man she doesn’t love, and she feels trapped in a life that is not her own. But when she sees Ray’s paintings, she is drawn to them in a way she cannot explain. She sees something of herself in them, and she begins to wonder if Ray is the only person who has ever really seen her.
As Ray and Jennifer’s lives intersect, they begin to explore the nature of art, love, and connection. They learn that even the most ordinary lives can be transformed by the power of art. And they discover that the most important thing in life is not to be understood, but to be seen.
Discussion Questions Man With a Seagull on His Head
- What is the significance of the seagull in the book?
- How does the relationship between the man and the seagull develop over the course of the book?
- What does the man learn about himself and the world around him through his interactions with the seagull?
- How does the book explore the themes of loneliness, isolation, and connection?
- What is the role of humor in the book?
- How does the book challenge our perceptions of what it means to be “normal”?
- What is the significance of the setting of the book (the seaside town of Whitby)?
- What does the book say about the relationship between humans and animals?
- How does the book explore the themes of loss and grief?
- What is the significance of the ending of the book?
- What do you think the book is ultimately about?
- What are some of the challenges that the man faces in the book?
- How does he overcome these challenges?
- What are some of the lessons that the reader can learn from the book?
- How would you rate the book?