Reservation Blues

We had a shorthanded group at Tim's to discuss Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie. Terry, Cindy and Lexi couldn't make it.

    All present liked the book. Some of the discussion was trying to figure out the references to Armstrong, Sheridan and Wright and what the supernatural

appearances of Big Mom, Robert Johnson, the Gentleman and the magic guitar were supposed to mean. The interactions of the characters with the white world

were described in real time but also in dreams. Why did the guitar refuse to perform at the New York City recording studio? We were uncertain.

    Ed couldn't get into the mystical angle at all and saw the book as a poignant depiction of real life on an Indian reservation. All felt the characters and their

relationships were well developed. They had  been abused as children in one way or another and this was reflected in their adult lives. We were all floored

by Junior's suicide and were sympathetic even toward the flawed Victor and Junior. Mindy pointed out that in the end the only answer to the hopelessness

of the reservation was to leave it.

    An interesting angle picked up by several of us was the seemingly autobiographical aspect of the book. Alexie grew up on the Spokane Reservation playing

basketball and with an alcoholic father, managing like Thomas, Chess and Checkers to escape into the white world. Someone also pointed out that the wordsto blues songs at the beginning of each chapter were co-written by Alexie. A very rich book. 

Next meeting

is January 4 at Chrysanne's. Book is Commonwealth by Ann Patchett.

Thanks,    Ed!

October Everybody's Fool

October found us reading Everybody's fool, a sequel to Nobody's Fool. We we were surprised to find that we had not read the previous book together as a group.  Most of us found the novel completely delightful: funny, engaging and poignant.  Everyone loved Sully, of course.  And Doug Raymer, who was a minor character in Nobody's Fool shared the lime light with Sully.  All of the doom and gloom, death and deception revolve around Doug Raymer.  We almost lose Sully, but he survives and hold out hope for a trilogy.   

After reviewing the different novels we have read over the years as we are wont to do:

1994- Risk Pool; 2001 Empire Falls; and 2008 Bridge of Sighs; one person pointed out that there might have been a bit of a departure in this novel where evil is described and acknowledged.  Whereas in past novels, evil has occurred a bit as a blunder from ignorance or accident. It was fun laughing about all of the characters and eating Lexi's great food.

Next month we meet at Tim's on November 28th for Reservation Blues by  Sherman Alexie.  

The Sympathizer

In July and August, we read the Pulitzer Prize Winning, The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen.  This book was unusual in that it focused on the Vietnamese perspectives on the Vietnam War rather than the American or French version of the story.    He begins with a quote we talked about in our book group: I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces.  Perhaps not surprisingly, I am also a man of two minds.  I am not some misunderstood mutant from a comic book or a horror movie, although some have treated me as such.  I am simply able to see any issue from both sides.  The narrator introduces us to both sides of the issue of the end of the Vietnam War and the ensuing messiness of the end of a war, particularly for the main character who is a spy and has some entangled, dual and complicated relationships.  

We discussed how difficult some of the novel was to read, making some of us uncomfortable about our not knowing about the pain endured by others during the Vietnam conflict.  It was a good discussion covering our own connections with the war.  There were uncomfortable parts involving torture and death which were hard to read and we wondered a bit about the purpose, but supposed it was to bring the narrator to write his 'confession.'  His conclusion about being guilty of 'doing nothing.'  was very powerful.   While it was a difficult book to read, we were all glad to have had the experience together.  

For October, we decided upon Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo.  We planned to meet at Mindy's, hosted by Lexi at 6:45 on October 18th.