April 2018: Autumn by Ali Smith

April's meeting is at Dawn's house in Crawley to discuss Autumn by Ali Smith.

I loved the opening to this book, and the masterful narrative construction. I read it in a single sitting and  am very much looking forward to discussing it this evening.

Questions as supplied by Dawn:

1.    How is the story rooted in autumn? Why do you think Ali Smith decided to write a quartet of books about the seasons, the changing of the seasons, and the passing of time? Why did she start with autumn?

2.    Ali Smith stated in an interview with her British publishers, “The way we live, in time, is made to appear linear by the chronologies that get applied to our lives by ourselves and others, starting at birth, ending at death, with a middle where we’re meant to comply with some or other of life’s usual expectations, in other words the year to year day to day minute to minute moment to moment fact of time passing. But we’re time-containers, we hold all our diachrony, our pasts and our futures (and also the pasts and futures of all the people who made us and who in turn we’ll help to make) in every one of our consecutive moments / minutes / days / years, and I wonder if our real energy, our real history, is cyclic in continuance and at core, rather than consecutive.” Do you agree with the author that our history and thus our stories, individual and collective, are cyclical rather than chronological? Discuss this description of time.

3.    The novel proceeds with flashbacks interspersed with the present rather than in a consecutive, chronological narrative. Why? And how does this connect with the author’s view on how we perceive time?

4.    Describe the friendship between Elisabeth and Daniel and how it evolves through time and the novel. How is their relationship at the heart of the novel? Why does he always ask her, “What are you reading?”

5.    What is the novel saying about creativity and creating and about witnessing and experiencing art and literature? And what is the novel saying about nature and our interactions with it?

6.    Describe the relationship of Elisabeth and her mother. How does the relationship blossom by the end of the novel? Why does it change?

7.    How is Autumn collage-like and thus similar to the art of Pauline Boty?

8.    Why do you think the author has chosen this real-life artist as a character and inspiration in this novel? What do Boty and her vision and art represent for Daniel and Elisabeth and how does she connect to the themes of Autumn?

9.    Why does the book open with a reference to Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, and then there’s a longer reference to a divided country filled with polarities: “All across the country, people felt legitimized. All across the country, people felt bereaved and shocked”? (p. 60) What are the two cities or polarities in the novel?

10. Smith alludes to and mentions many other authors and literary works as well: William Shakespeare, John Keats, James Joyce, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell. Discuss them and why they are relevant to this novel.

11. Many reviewers have called this novel the first post-Brexit novel. What does this mean? How has England changed after the Brexit vote? How does this tie into the United States’ 2016 election, or does it?

12. What is the novel saying about storytelling? “There’s always, there’ll always be, more story. That’s what story is.” (p. 193)

13. Why doesn’t Daniel tell Elisabeth about his experience during World War II? “I know nothing, nothing really, about anyone.” (p. 171) Can we ever know everything about another person?

14. What is the importance of politics and the effects of politics on the layperson in this novel? What does the fence and defying the fence represent?

15. Both Daniel and Elisabeth’s mother talk about lying and being lied to. Daniel: “The power of the lie . . . Always seductive to the powerless.” (p. 114). Elisabeth’s mother: “I’m tired of people not caring whether they’re being lied to any more.” (p. 57) What are both of them talking about? And what is the connection of lies and truth in the novel?

16. On what note, despair or hope, does the novel end and why?

March 2018: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

March's meeting took place at Hazel's house in Horsham to discuss the Booker prize winner.

Rather than just the questions, I have added my notes this time. Feel free to add or challenge!

I was totally hooked by the opening chapter with this charming story of slow blossoming love between hans vollman and his young wife, with its brutally ironic conclusion prior to the consummation of their marriage - even though I didn't really have a clue what was going on and it took me a little while to work out what the ‘sick box’ must be. It took some time to process the idea that ‘fresh’ means freshly dead, and the tensing up and mildly toxic feelings must be rigor mortis. So, on the one hand, death is mild, so much so that the dead aren't even aware, initially, and feel that their state must be temporary (which, in many ways, it is). There is humour in the delicacy with which they discuss their predicament, a delightful ironic euphemism (given that the characters are already dead, so there should be no real way of avoiding that taboo) in phrases like ‘that wild-onion stench the young exude when tarrying’ (p33).

And this is all set against the backdrop of the civil war where death is all around, so that one private grief played out in public is pitted against the immeasurable loss of war, exposing the futility of, well, everything. At times it seems a real existential novel. ‘Everyone laboured under some burden of sorrow; that all were suffering; that whatever way one took in this world, one must try to remember that all were suffering (none content; all wronged, neglected, overlooked, misunderstood), and therefore one must do what one could to lighten the load of those with whom one came into contact;’ (p303)

I doubted the veracity of the accounts in the next seven chapters, initially, and had to check that they were all real. Once I had established that then I really enjoyed the way they were put together in both supporting and contradictory ways to recount the experiences in the Lincoln household in the last few days of Willie Lincoln’s life. The contrast of the ‘loaned tomb’ and the idea that ‘nothing could be more peaceful or beautiful’.

roger bevins III (homosexual suicide) has a propensity to drift off into recollections of the sublime - in nature primarily, but also ‘coloured shirts dancing in the wind’ or ‘a waft of beef broth’; it represents the perfect literary justification for purple prose as he waxes lyrical about all earthly pleasures which are now denied him. So overblown that several times (p141 for example) feel like a reference to Under Milk Wood.

What connects them is their unreadiness to die - hans because he was about to consummate his marriage and roger bevins as he changed his mind about slitting his wrists and killing himself at the last minute.

The names of the dead are not capitalised when those of the living are, perhaps to indicated their non-status. And this would also explain the layout on the page, where the speaker is only identified after the fact. Since these are dead characters they cannot have lines like in a conventional script, and in fact are barely perceptible as people. It is also entirely revolutionary stylistically since it is not just dialogue, they narrate and report each other's speech, so that the ‘world’ as such, is built collectively between characters. It is only possible to discern who has spoken after they have said it. Italics when they are inhabiting someone else, as happens on several occasions to Abraham Lincoln, so that we are also able to have the thoughts of the living, and some of the most profoundly honest thoughts of all, ‘Trap, horrible trap. At one’s birth it is sprung. Some last day must arrive when you will need to get out of this body. Bad enough. Then we bring a baby here. The terms of the trap are compounded. That baby also must depart. All pleasures should be tainted by that knowledge. But hopeful dear us, we forget.’ (P155-156) A technique which allows them to exist simultaneously in one another's minds so that they know each other more completely than one could ever no another, walking in someone else's shoes in a manner reminiscent of Atticus's lessons in To Kill A Mockingbird.

Willie, freshly arrived, sees them as multiples of aspects of themselves, rather than human bodies - hands, eyes, rather than distinct. They are ‘little bit scary’. 

Saunders manages to belittle anything earthly we might hold dear. How ridiculous is A. G. Coombs, for example, who is heard repeatedly to say, ‘Do you know who I am, Sir? They hold me a table at Binlay’s!’ p102. Or professor edmund bloomer who laments his burned research, or lawrence t. decroix his lost pickle factory. And the dead are mocked in other ways, too. Like hans voller’s ‘tremendous member’ which reappears regularly in the narrative so that we are not allowed to forget it. ‘Strange, isn't it? To have dedicated one’s life to a certain venture, neglecting other aspects of one’s life, only to have that venture, in the end, amount to nothing at all, the product of one’s labours utterly forgotten?’ (210)

In order to maintain this status of ‘eternal enslavement’ (104), inhabitants of the bardo must overcome many obstacles. They are ‘much preoccupied with the challenges of staying’ (113) like the temptations, luring them by taking on the guise of loved ones, to follow. The tendrils before they surrender, succumb or capitulate - all verbs which suggest a weakness.

This is a novel about race, class, slavery, life, love and death. Lincoln’s experience in the bardo changes the course of the Civil War; and, significantly, the last voice is that of a slave who has inhabited him.

February 2018: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Meeting at Gill's house in Brighton. This one was very well received.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Reading Group Questions

- How do you think you would have treated Eleanor if she had been your work colleague? What do you think the world is like for those who are often seen as ‘different’ or ‘difficult’?

- “Today, it was ‘Top of the World’ by The Carpenters. That beautiful voice... she sounds so blissful, so full of love. Lovely, lucky Karen Carpenter.” Why do you think Eleanor described Karen Carpenter as ‘lucky’?

- “All the studies show that people tend to take a partner who is roughly as attractive as they are; like attracts like, that is the norm.” Do you agree?

- How does the novel deal with the idea of grief? Who does Eleanor grieve for?

- “I feel sorry for beautiful people. 

Beauty, from the moment you possess it, is already slipping away, ephemeral. That must be difficult.” Do you think there is any truth in this? How do you feel about beautiful people?

 “If I knew one thing about romance, it was that the perfect moment for us to meet and fall in love would arrive when I least expected it, and in the most charming set of circumstances.” Has this ever happen to you? Where do you think Eleanor has culled this idea from and is this sort of romantic ideal harmful or harmless?

- “That’s the thing: it’s best just to take care of yourself.” Is there truth in this?

- “I suppose one of the reasons we’re able to continue to exist for our allotted span in this green and blue vale of tears is that there is always, however remote it might seem, the possibility of change.” Is this the main theme of the novel?

-  “Grief is the price we pay for love, so they say. The price is far too high.” Discuss.

-  Why do you think Eleanor is the way she is? Do you think this is a result of nature or nurture?

-  “These days, loneliness is the new cancer – a shameful, embarrassing thing, brought upon yourself in some obscure way.” Do you agree with Eleanor? If you do, why is it the case? How is loneliness viewed by society?

-  What is the difference between loneliness and being alone? Which of these applies to Eleanor and why?

-  “Is knowing always better than not knowing?” Discuss.

- What do you think the future holds for Eleanor and Raymond? How is their relationship portrayed – is it love? And if so, is it romantic love or platonic love?

 

December 2017: Swing Time by Zadie Smith

We weren’t too impressed by “Swing Time” – lots of undeveloped characters and a frustrating plot (or lack of a clear one). We enjoyed tearing it apart though! Our numbers have been very small lately so we’re looking to recruit. If you know anyone who may like to join us in the new year, please invite them along.

January 2018: The Dry

Meeting at Jane's house in Crawley to discuss Jane Harper's Australian debut.

 

1. The drought overshadows everything that happens in The Dry. In some ways it could almost be said to be a character in its own right. What is it about the drought and its effects on the town that make people less likely to question what happened to the Hadlers? 
   
   2. How does the drought color our impressions of Kiewarra, its residents, and the Australian bush throughout the novel? 
   
   3. Secrets and lies and the reasons why people keep them are the core of this novel. Luke and Gretchen both keep the secret about their whereabouts on the day Ellie died, even from Falk, but for different reasons. How does the keeping of this secret affect their relationship with each other and with Falk? How does it impact the way the truth comes out about Ellie's death? 
   
   4. Why do you think Gretchen is so reluctant to tell Falk who Lachie's real father is? Who do you think it is? 
   
   5. Jamie Sullivan's secret needlessly hinders the investigation into the Hadlers' deaths, and yet his fears about what people in a small town might do if they found out about his—and Dr. Leigh's—homosexuality are understandable. Similarly, Ellie Deacon keeps the secret of her father's abuse, with tragic consequences. What does this tell us about the nature of secrets, and the need for truth? Is it better for some secrets to be kept? 
   
   6. "Falk felt a sharp pang of longing for what might have been" (p. 112). How has growing up without a mother affected Falk's life? In what ways does this become especially apparent when he and his father move to Melbourne and cut all ties with his childhood home? 
   
   7. "Why couldn't he let her in? Why wouldn't he let her in? Did he not trust her? Or did he not love her enough?" (p. 140). Falk's adult relationships have not been what he hoped. How have the events surrounding Ellie's death and his relationship with Ellie in life affected Falk and his ability to engage with people? 
   
   8. Do you think that leaving town was the right way for Erik Falk to deal with the situation he and Aaron were facing? How did his father's doubts about him affect Aaron? 
   
   9. "I know Luke was your mate and Dow's a dickhead, but in a lot of ways they were quite similar. Both larger than life, got tempers on them, always had to be right. Two sides of the same coin, you know?" (p. 136). Luke is revealed to us as someone who had both good and not so good qualities. In spite of their long friendship, Falk cannot quite rule out that Luke might have committed the murders of his wife and son. In what ways did Luke differ from Grant Dow? What was it about Luke that made people think him capable of murder? 
   
   10. "As they shook hands for what would prove to be the last time, Falk found himself struggling to remember, once again, why they were still friends." (p. 185). In spite of their shared childhood, Luke and Falk had very different personalities. What is it that spells the end of their friendship? Do you think they would have remained friends if they hadn't lied about where they were at the time of Ellie's death, and/or if Luke had told Aaron where he really was in the first place? 
   
   11. The fictional town of Kiewarra is the central setting of the novel. How does the town itself inform our ideas about the people who live there and the events that take place there? What are the positives and negatives of a small town's tight-knit community? 
   
   12. The bush, the rock tree, and the Kiewarra River are the scenes of several major events in the novel. Why do you think Aaron is drawn to these places? What does the contrast between the wild places in the novel and those tamed by human habitation show us? 
   
   13. Jane Harper has chosen to tell this story in the past tense and third person, from Aaron Falk's point of view, and with flashbacks from various characters threaded throughout. What is the effect of this? How does it shape the reader's understanding of Aaron himself, as well as of the other characters in the novel? 
   
   14. Some of the flashback scenes are shown to the reader a second time in a more expanded form as the novel progresses. What does this device show us about the reliability of the assumptions we make about the events and the characters? 
   
   15. The novel begins with a prologue that describes flies being drawn to the scene of the murders. Why is this approach such a powerful way to introduce the events of the novel?

November 2017: Nutshell by Ian McEwan

November's meeting was hosted by Hazel in Horsham. Thanks also to Hazel for sourcing the questions, which provoked plenty of lively discussion. We agreed that it's not McEwan at his best but still enjoyed the voice of the strangely sophisticated (Radio 4 loving, wine expert) foetus!

1. Discuss the idea of ‘retelling’. When did you realise that the novel was a retelling of Hamlet? Did this bring anything extra to your reading of the book?
2. ‘McEwan can be counted on to make the implausible plausible and the outrageous reasonable’ (Booklist review of Nutshell, August 2016). Do you think this statement is true in regards to Nutshell?
3. ‘I’ve no taste for comedy.’ Did you find the book funny? Did you think it was supposed to be funny?
4. ‘I’m an organ in her body, not separate from her thoughts. I’m party to what she’s about to do.’ How does McEwan use the foetus/mother relationship to drive the story forward? Do you think he uses it effectively?
5. ‘Words, as I’m beginning to appreciate, make things true.’ Discuss how McEwan explores this idea in the novel, and whether you agree with it.
6. ‘Pessimism is too easy. It absolves the thinking classes of solutions.’ Do you think the end result of the novel proves this statement? If so, why, and if not, why not?
7. Look at the narrator’s attempted ‘suicide’ alongside the start of Trudy’s labour, and discuss how McEwan uses these two events to explore the notions of control? Who do you think is really in control in the narrative: Claude, Trudy or the foetus?
8. ‘She’s sees that the crime… was not a crime at all. It’s a mistake, it always was.’ Discuss Trudy’s attempts to justify the crime.       
9. ‘This is a step into the complete freedom – if it is freedom – of a fantasy.’ (Ian McEwan in conversation with Michael W. Miller, Wall Street Journal, August 2016) How would you classify this novel? Some reviewers have classified it as a domestic thriller: would you agree?

October 2017: H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

October's meeting took place in Crawley; thanks to Jane for hosting and for sourcing the questions. Most enjoyed H is for Hawk,  agreeing that it was slow to start with but the relationship between woman and hawk was really engrossing. The book also seemed to speak to everyone on some level about grief and loss.

1.    Helen has lost her father and is grieving. Where did you find yourself drawn to her in sympathy or empathy? Were there times when you found her less sympathetic? If yes, when?

2.    "The book you are reading is my story," Helen writes. "It is not a biography of Terence Hanbury White. But White is part of my story all the same. I have to write about him because he was there." (p.38) How does T.H. White's life story help the reader understand Helen's journey?

3.    Helen finds her father's photographs help her feel that something of him remains, although he has gone. Does this resonate with your experience of the grieving process? What material things have become important to you after the loss of a loved one?
4.    After living several days with her hawk in her flat, Helen observes, "I was turning into a hawk" (p85). What do you think she means?

5.    How important is human friendship to Helen as she travels through her grief?

6.    Helen describes training a hawk in close detail. Does that engage you or are other parts of the narrative equally or more important to you?

7.    Helen describes herself as 'a watcher' (p68): a characteristic she says has both positive and negative aspects. How does being visible or invisible change in significance as Helen trains Mabel?

8.    On page 129 Helen puts forward the idea that "we carry the lives we've imagined as we carry the lives we have and sometimes a reckoning comes of all the lives we have lost." On the following page she quotes T. H. White: "Sometimes a reckoning comes of all the lives we have lost." (p130). What is White reckoning with? What about Helen? How similar are they and what connects them, beyond training goshawks?

9.    When Mabel catches a pheasant, Helen helps her pluck the pheasant as 'unconsciously as a mother helping a child with her dinner.' (p 184) Then, as the hawk eats, she starts to cry. Is this a turning point, and if so, why?
10.  Helen was eight years old when she first read T.H. White's "The Goshawk" and initially she disliked it. How do her views on White's book evolve over time? What books have you changed your mind about over the years?

11.  This is a story of a woman grieving in a highly unusual way. It is a deeply personal story but what makes it universal? How does it speak to your own life experience?

12.  Helen describes her state of mind in close detail. On the very first page she says, "I felt odd: overtired, overwrought, unpleasantly like my brain had been removed and my skull stuffed with something like microwaved aluminium foil, dinted, charred and shorting with sparks." Where did her expression of feelings resonate with you?

13.  "Hunting with the hawk took me to the very edge of being a human," says Helen (p 195) What prevents her from going over that edge?

14.  Ultimately, Helen will stop looking after Mabel. How important is letting go of the hawk to Helen's journey?