Why did I skip the character list section for 8 months of club reads

I have been in this book club since March and every month we read something with a bigger cast. I kept getting names mixed up, flipping back 15 pages to remember who was who. Last week at the meeting someone mentioned the little family tree diagram in the front of the hardcover and I felt so dumb. We read 'The Bee Sting' and I struggled the entire 500 pages. Now I check the front matter first thing, like a normal person. Has anyone else missed something obvious like that for way too long?

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raymitchell17d ago

That 8 months is rough but honestly I think those character lists can be a trap sometimes. I mean yeah they help you keep names straight but they also spoil who matters later and sometimes who's related to who before the book wants you to know it. I skipped them on purpose for a long time because I like figuring out connections as I go, even if it means flipping back a bunch. Maybe it's just me but getting lost in a big cast feels like part of the ride, not a failure.