I am finally beginning to see what this book is doing. I probably should have seen it earlier. The story starts out with all of the main characters (Coop, Anna, Claire, and farmer father) in one, not exactly intimate but cozy, place. As the result of violence, the group is splintered and damaged. The rest of the book examines the damaged individuals as they seek solitude and healing in their new lives.
This kind of thing has been done before.I’m sure there are thousands of examples, but I can only think of two off of the top of my head: A Time to Kill and Lovely Bones.
Michael Ondaatje delves deeper than the others, I think. He is able to forge through the characters and show the duplicity that necessarily attends when you hide from the past. It will be interesting to see whether there is a reunion at the end of the book. I’m guessing that there will be a physical reunion but not a restoration of what was.
I guess the point is that you can’t really be restored after something like that happens. You can heal, but there will always be scars.
Other Readings
The Old Testament plods along. Last night, I got to the part where Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26) These parts of Genesis are not quite as fluid as the retellings might suggest. The instruction not to look back is not told with sufficient notice of the consequences. Also, the Lord/angels (it’s unclear) tell Lot to go to the mountains and he whines about it being to far and remote and uncivilized, so he/they acquiesce to him going to another village (which Lot eventually as to leave for the mountains anyway). If he/they are that lenient with Lot, why not give Lot’s wife the benefit of the doubt? Plus, I’m sure that she had spent a lot of time nesting and making a home there. What if she just wanted one last glance? It doesn’t mean she wanted to go back, necessarily. It just seems a little harsh. Also, I’ve read this before, but I was shocked that Lot offered his two virgin daughters to the lusty mob of apparently bisexual men “to do ye to them as is good in your eyes.” (Genesis 19:8) And Lot was the most righteous guy in the city. Hmmmm . . .
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