Writers of Color Book Club discussion

In this discussion thread we will be looking at part two (page 147-266.)

Please indicate when your post include spoilers!

Happy reading!

I like Bird. She's a spunky little thing, if a little mischievous. Seeing the story through her eyes to me is the most interesting part of the story so far. There's something about Boy's point of view I don't fully trust...

And I still don't get what's up with the mirrors! (view spoiler)[the fact that Bird can't see her reflection in mirrors just confounds me. What does it mean?? (hide spoiler)] Any theories?

I think Oyeyemi is trying to connect the story to Snow White... But I still dont see what it adds to the story, really.

Perhaps I need to go back and read the original Grimm's fairy tale after I'm done with this. I have the Disney version in my head.

Lynecia wrote: "Perhaps I need to go back and read the original Grimm's fairy tale after I'm done with this. I have the Disney version in my head."

Yes, I remember researching the Grimm fairy tale when reading and there were parts of the original story that I forgot about (I guess I too had the Disney version in my head) that helped me better understand the connections to Boy, Snow, Bird.

I too and guitly of trying to connect this story with the Disney version of Snow White. I agree Lynecia, Boy and this particular story leaves me a bit miffed. Bird felt like such a distant character that was so dreamlike, she couldn't be real. I do find it interesting that Oyeyemi sort of gives this character that weight of being the treasured "light-skinned" character. I say this since her Grandmother who is Arturo's mom dotes on her.

(view spoiler)[ Has anybody noticed any character changes as far as Arturo is concerned? He seemed to have started off as this "cruel" figure as implied by Mia when she said, she'd never date him since he has thing about being one tracked when he likes something along with the way he and Boy first interacted. Yet, now he's just this extra character since he married Boy. (hide spoiler)]

Adira wrote: "I too and guitly of trying to connect this story with the Disney version of Snow White. I agree Lynecia, Boy and this particular story leaves me a bit miffed. Bird felt like such a distant characte..."
I actually find it odd (view spoiler)[that he just consents to have his daughter banished without a fight. what was up with that? I mean, I know he lied about being "colored" and all, but I don't see what power Boy wielded over him after that baby came and the secret was out. (hide spoiler)] But I'm nearly at Part 3 and perhaps my question will be answered yet...

Lynecia wrote: "Adira wrote: "I too and guilty of trying to connect this story with the Disney version of Snow White. I agree Lynecia, Boy and this particular story leaves me a bit miffed. Bird felt like such a di..."

Ok, so I'm not alone in my thoughts! LOL He became extra docile for no reason what so ever! I wanted Oyeyemi to make good on her promise that Arturo was going to be this big and powerful force in the story. Instead he's just become boring.(view spoiler)[ Also, I wish he'd have reacted better to his "big" secret coming out. He was just like, "oh, yeah...by the way...I'm black" #gotcha smh this scene doesn't make sense plot wise or culture wise in terms of how big race and racial relations/interracial relationships were during the 1950's. (hide spoiler)] For me, Oyeyemi seems to be falling down on the job with this book in terms of developing the story and handling the action well.

Adira wrote: "Lynecia wrote: "Adira wrote: "I too and guilty of trying to connect this story with the Disney version of Snow White. I agree Lynecia, Boy and this particular story leaves me a bit miffed. Bird fel..."
Seriously!(view spoiler)[He gave her a drink and basically said "What had happened was..." At least the mother had the audacity to be a tad bit delusional about the whole thing, when she insinuated that Boy was the one with the "questionable" background. (hide spoiler)]
I'm going to have to google some interviews with Oyeyemi after this to try to make sense of things. All the tension between Boy and Arturo in the beginning just never shows up again. I don't see what the point of all that was.

On another note, I'm enjoying Snow and Bird's correspondence back and forth - they also are talking in parables/fairytales which I'm sure mean something but I'm not sure yet. I think its funny how (view spoiler)[Boy tries to convince Bird that Snow is not a good person, but when her dad comes to town, he tries to convince Bird the same of her! (hide spoiler)]

Yeah that whole treatment of Snow by Boy was weird. Personally, I seriously disliked Bird. She was such an evil kid so I was confused if she was supposed to be evil step or not. However, I think my dislike of her stems from fact that I don't like spoiled children.

I need to reread the grimm fairy tale!

I read this part tonight. So... this book kind of took a turn for the boring in the second part. I like Bird (and particularly I liked the letters her and Snow sent back and forth,) but the portion narrated by Bird just wasn't as interesting as the first part of the novel. It felt like a lot of the tension leaked out of the story.

I feel like the book keeps touching on issues of race and then backing off. Like way off, like completely turning and running away for the rest of the chapter. I too was interested in how the revelation of the Whitman's passing for white would affect the relationships in the story, but it all kind of fizzled.

The mirrors (view spoiler)[I'm thinking not being able to see themselves in the mirror must in someway be a metaphor for beauty and the deception of mirrors which Boy talks about in her part, but I can't quite get this thought to connect concretely. (hide spoiler)]

I'm also having difficulty connecting Boy, Snow, Bird back to the Snow White story. (view spoiler)[After Frank Novak shows up and talks to Bird and tells her Boy is evil, I was kind of thinking maybe he's supposed to be the "evil step parent" and this is a gender bending fairy tale. Because Frank is the source of most of the tension in the story, is the only character I'd really identify as being evil, and he also had some really weird thoughts/feelings towards beauty. Plus after Boy ran away, he pursued her and is possibly trying to destroy her life. Anyway, I'm rambling now. It's also possible I'm grasping at straws and trying to create tension were it was lacking. (hide spoiler)]

So yeah, I guess it's safe to say I was a little miffed by the second portion. Oyeyemi did a great job of building tension in the first part of the book, and I felt it all kind of leaked away in the second part.

Yes! Nicole the leakage on Oyeyemi's part was too real! She didn't really tackle any issues with her work that she presented in the first half with this portion, but she introduced more.

I like your thought about mirrors as well. I think it's interesting how you saw it as symbolizing beauty and thoughts about it. I believe someone else made this comment as well and said it might reflect Boy's vapidness since she couldn't see herself in the mirrors.