‘The White Lotus’ Season 2 Book Club: Each Character’s Beach Read Explains a Lot About Them
The White Lotus is one of the biggest shows of the past few years. Fans love the storylines, the characters, and the attention to detail in the HBO dramedy. One viewer noticed that even the books the characters read send a message to the audience. So, what do the books in The White Lotus Season 2 tell us?
‘The White Lotus’ creator Mike White loves subtle symbolism
Mike White, the creator of The White Lotus, is a big fan of symbolism — nothing in the show is accidental. For example, in season 2, Testa di Moro statues appear in every episode. The legend of Testa di Moro is a Sicilian tale about a woman seduced by a man with a wife and children at home. This story mirrors the many plotlines about cheating on a partner in The White Lotus Season 2.
For more symbolism, take a look at the show’s opening credits. Paintings appear alongside the actors’ names, and each gives a clue about the character’s story, from their relationships with other characters to death omens.
Harper: ‘Lost Children Archive’ by Valeria Luiselli
Harper, played by Aubrey Plaza, can be seen carrying a copy of Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli throughout The White Lotus Season 2. The Booker Prize-shortlisted novel is about a family road trip that collides with an immigration crisis at the American-Mexican border. As the book progresses, it becomes clear the family, too, is in crisis.
This book makes sense for Harper to read because she’s an employment attorney, showing she cares about current affairs. It’s also a message about her trip with her husband, which appears to unravel as the days pass.
Ethan: ‘Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope’ by Mark Manson
Harper’s husband Ethan, played by Will Sharpe, also reads a book throughout his Italian vacation in The White Lotus Season 2. His pick? Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson. The self-help book aids readers experiencing anxiety about today’s world, even as they live in privileged circumstances.
Cameron: ‘Gone Bamboo’ by Anthony Bourdain
Harper and Ethan vacation with another couple in The White Lotus Season 2. Cameron, played by Theo James, is Ethan’s college roommate. He brought his beach read to Italy: Gone Bamboo by Anthony Bourdain.
Cameron’s choice is a crime thriller about a CIA-trained assassin who botches an assignment and has to get his fellow assassin — and wife — to help him. Cameron and his wife are a united team, even as they scheme against each other, so it makes sense he would pick up what Bourdain himself called “a sociopath beach book” (per GQ).
Albie: ‘The Architecture of Closed Worlds: Or, What Is the Power of Shit?’ by Lydia Kallipoliti
Albie, played by Adam DiMarco, is another guest at the White Lotus resort. He leafs through a copy of The Architecture of Closed Worlds: Or, What Is the Power of Shit? by Lydia Kallipoliti.
His book is about closed systems, such as space capsules and submarines. The author also explores failed closed systems, which typically struggle with the buildup of waste products and other things that can clog a system.
Mike White does the same in The White Lotus. The show’s creator explores different ways closed systems can fail, from the resorts for the uber-wealthy to relationships and marriages. Albie — who observes his father’s, grandfather’s, and friend Harper’s increasingly risky behavior — sees firsthand the dangers of a closed system.
