Author: frosen3@telus.net

A Burning: So much said in so few words

A depressing but worthwhile read—that was the bottom line on A Burning by Megha Majumdar for our Book Club. Why?

The writing was incredibly powerful and the plot well-structured. The reader was grabbed by the book immediately and the story moved forward quickly. The prose was spare—almost delivered with the voice of a child, i.e., stripped of social veneer—and contained beautiful metaphors. The end is extremely poetic “Know that I shall return…”

The author delivered an incredible sense of place—the smells, poverty as a lived experience, the blessed but beggar Hijra, the Eve teasing and the struggle of the have-nots to better themselves.

Although the story is set in India, the themes, albeit in hyperbole, resonate in North America where the impact of social media and right-wing extremism on democracy is a growing concern.

The story is appalling! Corruption appears widespread and implies that the modern world enables things to happen quickly. A lot happens. Some things work out but in a morally repulsive way. Morality is presented on a sliding scale. Within a short time, Lovely becomes a star through YouTube; PT Sir rises from teacher to Education Minister and Jivan goes from Facebook comment to hanging.

The main characters are well drawn—each had a distinct voice. Neither PT Sir nor Lovely appeared psychopathic but they allowed self-interest to prevent them from doing the “right thing”. While those two clearly compromised principles, it is less clear for Jivan: she felt guilt about walking away from the man asking her to take his child—a child that likely could not be rescued. However, Jivan, betrayed by the journalist, held out hope for the system and trust in humanity to the end.

What is the author’s purpose? Is she putting us on notice about how money can undermine democracy?

Washington Black

Washington Black introduces a very complex character. Born of a “Gulliver Like” fantasy, Wash pursues a narrative trail that provokes many questions. How did plantation owners reconcile their brutal treatment of slaves with their moral upbringing? How are we to reconcile Titch’s acceptance of his family’s plantation operation with his role as an abolitionist? What does it feel like to be transferred from one family, i.e., from Big Kit? and then abandoned the second, i.e., by Titch? Is John Willard primarily a device for sustaining the slavery state in Wash’s mind? Are we to understand from Wash’s story that acculturation without social acceptance is futile and harmful?  Why does Wash need to pursue Titch? To what extent does survivor or imposter guilt underlie his pursuit? And what does Wash conclude following his meeting with Titch in Morocco? And how does that serve the novel’s purpose? Is it to illustrate that the road to freedom for African American slaves is a very complex one? Are we to understand that the barriers to freedom are as much personal as systemic?

A Gate at the Stairs

 

 

 

 

 

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore is a challenging read.  One member of our Book Club asked “what was the point?” This is an interesting question. One can respond to it from many perspectives.  When I considered her question, I stripped down the narrative to its key events – like one might if writing a screenplay or a libretto. The plot revealed that a young woman encountered a series of overwhelming personal tragedies from which she emerged a stronger person. This was an important point for me!  For much of the novel I was distressed by the author’s failure to get on with the story. However, by the end I was overwhelmed by her ability to presence this young person’s grief.  It brought me nearer to an appreciation for the distress that may be driving youth to suicide.

This book delved into many aspects of contemporary existence other than ascending tragedy –  ­ God/religion in modern life, racism/anti-racism, cuisine, deceit, and birds/flight. The author served up a potpourri of modern issues without providing any moral guidance. She simply provided a ‘life as it is’ narrative that buried  the critical events.

Was there a message? Or is the only message “learn from experience” – yours and others!

The author provided three quotations in her epigram. The first two are most understandable.  They reflect on what transpired in the story. The third must relate to my question about the message! I think it might mean ­ we should all be able to see how things work! Assuming you can afford the price of admission!

Blood Brothers and The Sympathizer

A question arose at the most recent meeting of my book club when we were discussing The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, actually a two-in-one question – why involve “blood brothers” and why leave one unnamed?  My thoughts – the use of this trope provides a wealth of symbolic opportunities.  It brings together in a single entity the ideas underlining the unfolding drama resulting in this drama – North Vietnam communism, South Vietnam colonization and the main protagonist’s dilemma. The Bon, Man, Captain trio represents the two ideologies and the individual torn between them.  The choice of the characters names is both humorous and metaphorical.  Bon, a name of French origin, represents the colonizers of South Vietnam and offers a sort of ironic comment on Bon’s final outlook. Man, a common element in Chinese names, represents the communists of North Vietnam and offers an ironic comment on the post war Vietnamese climate. The “nameless captain” is an ironic representation of an individual torn between two ideologies.

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