The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is Quiet and Steady…”Crunch Crunch Crunch.”

 All 7 of us at the February Zoom discussion had finished and enjoyed reading The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. Marcia sent us to the author’s website, where we saw action video of the snail and listened to a recording of the snail eating. Here are some highlights from our discussion of 20 questions the author provided:

Question 1) There are 2 protagonists in the book, the snail and the human. Did you find yourself drawn to one more than the other?

Marcia noted that the snail was nocturnal and was always back to a resting spot before daylight. She related the illness aspect of the book to the pandemic, because everyone has become more aware of illness and handwashing. We discussed handwashing obedience and rebellion. In her nursing career, Marcia remembered a germophobic doctor who particularly disliked the hospital’s policy of allowing patients’ pets to visit them at the hospital. Dennis reminded us that there are good bacteria in dirt. Carla said she had often told her children that “…everyone has to eat their prescribed pound of dirt.”

Joanne said that the world is becoming complicated and dangerous. I responded that, due to the prevalence of the media, we certainly are hearing about everything complicated and dangerous! Joyce addressed the author’s situation of finding a little companionship with the snail as a fellow living creature and finding reduced connection and increased awkwardness with friends who visited her, as her illness continued over time. Marcia said the author seemed to find symmetry between herself, who couldn’t do things quickly, and the always-slow snail.

Joanne said she got caught up in the writing itself. Carla was concerned about the author as a person. Since the author seemed to be going through an idiopathic (unknown cause) and debilitating illness, we all felt sorry for her. Various members read aloud favorite passages from the book.

Question 5) Have you ever noticed a snail before? Marcia enjoyed learning a lot of details about snails when she read The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating. She remembered having a snail in a glass aquarium when she was a child. The snail would climb the wall. Once, when the snail had laid some eggs, Marcia’s older brothers scared her by telling her that the eggs indicated a dangerous alien involved. Funny how memories from childhood stay with us!

Marcia also noticed the snail’s “dart” hanging down in that same aquarium. Reading the book, she knew just what that dart had been! Snail ‘love darts’ are also mentioned in Gerald Durrell’s Birds, Beasts, and Relatives (Book 2 of The Corfu Trilogy, of which our Book Club read Book 1, My Family and Other Animals). My notes from reading The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating mention that Durrell’s passage about trying to get snails to mate was mentioned in The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating. Another adventure with snails Marcia told us about was when Marcia’s cat once arrived in the house with 20 tiny snails on her tail…Marcia called her “snail tail” and cleaned all the snails off the cat’s tail. It was good for all of us that Marcia had some interest in snails and nominated The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating!