Discussion for Book Club (spoiler content)

[Govangirl]

Great Hugh, I like that. You can have an A*. But can I say something that probably won't go down well? I'm not sure he was all that bad. He was only a child, remember and was faced with something totally horrific. If he had shown 'courage' (because facing them might have also been blind stupidity) he would also have his demons to face, albeit different ones.
And he only lied afterwards because of his great guilt and sorrow - again, just like a child.

(Is it time we should be discussing the next book?)

[hugh]

Oh yeah, there's always been a big difference between doing the "right thing" and what we actually do when it comes to real life.

I think there's still some meat in this book. We haven't even touched on Ags' questions yet, let alone discussed personal impressions of themes, construction, imagery etc.. but if anyone has any ideas of another title which would solicit a wider response, that would be wecome.

[Govangirl]

I think you're absolutely right but then I thought I'd come back to loads of discussion after my holiday and it had been very quiet. I'm also thinking that some people would need a month to read a new book.

Going back to irony, can I ask you Horse if you think differently about this seeing as you introduced it so well? I know you mentioned about the story Amir wrote about smelling an onion to cry but I feel it sums up the relationship between him and Hassan and is in a way a metaphor for Amir's life. I like Hugh's interpretation of irony in the novel - to me, it was a 'like father, like son' revelation: "We had both betrayed the people who were truest to them" so Amir at last understood that he went back to Afghanistan not only to atone for his own sins, but for his father's as well. However, other, lesser examples are:
*The minor character Kamal? helped Assef to rape Hassan in the alley yet when we meet him later, he is a victim of the same crime and is so obviously haunted by it.
*Amir framed Hassan by hiding the money under the mattress. Later, he did this again to help his guide's family and was well aware of the irony of it.
*I think there's a deeply painful, cruel irony when after everything Amir does to get Sohrab to America, he opens that door and sees that he has tried to commit suicide, that he doesn't want to live.
*The whole scene where Amir meets up with Assef has examples of irony - the revenge, Sohrab saving Amir's life with a slingshot, the eye damaged, the cut lip, etc.
*I would say that the total irony lies in the fact that Hassan sacrificed himself in that alley for Amir yet Amir betrayed that sacrifice in the worst way. He wanted to be loved by his father and even persuaded himself that Hassan was the price to pay for it.

[A Horse called Juan Face]

Take all those bits on board, except the Kamal one. Didn't realise he was raped, must have skipped over that bit. Oops. Anyway I noticed that there may be an irony in the question about the first words. Amir's is Baba, Hassan's is Amir. It's obviously because that is who each one idolises. The irony lies in the fact that Hassan only ever wanted to impress Amir and while Amir only wanted to impress his father, it is certainly implied that Hassan may have fit Baba's ideal of a son much better than Amir did. Not totally sure that's ironic, but it's certainly interesting.

[kintyre 84]

Really interested in this discussion and impressed by the high calibre of opinions but will have to read the book again as I also missed several of the points made.... who raped Kamal ... missed that totally.... ?

Anyway just wanted you to know that although I am not joining in with the discussion does not mean it is not being enjoyed!

[Govangirl]

Take all those bits on board, except the Kamal one. Didn't realise he was raped, must have skipped over that bit. Oops.

Really interested in this discussion and impressed by the high calibre of opinions but will have to read the book again as I also missed several of the points made.... who raped Kamal ... missed that totally.... ?

It's in Chapter 10 (page 105 in my book) and when Amir meets up with Kamal again.

'But when he and his father came over to our side of the room and I saw Kamal's face, really saw it . . .
He had withered - there was simply no other word for it. His eyes . . .

. . . Then he told Baba about Kamal. I caught only snippets of it: Should have never let him go alone . . . always so handsome, you know . . . four of them . . . tried to fight . . . God . . . took him .. . bleeding down there . . . his pants . . . doesn't talk anymore . . . just stares . . .

[History]

As a reader of John Grisham I looked forward to reading his first legal thriller in 3 years. “The Appeal”

The first few chapters reflected the spiel on the back cover. So far so good….but the middle descended into an author emptying his brain to shore up the story by using his knowledge of the Mississippian process of electing its public officials and particularly its Supreme Court judges.

The majority of this book was boring but I plodded on thinking “it’s John Grisham, it must get better” but I was sadly disappointed. The end was weak and felt like an afterthought to a very boring book.

History