Reading 1001 discussion

Read this book for Reading 1001, BOTM Nov 2019. I have read Regeneration by the author. In this book, set in more contemporary times we have a blended, dysfunctional family that has moved into a Victorian house in Newcastle upon Tyne. The other story line is the aging grandfather, 101, impending death. He is a WWI vet who suffered PTSD. There is a overlying sinister mood in this story. The family finds a picture of the previous owner of the home that portrays violence and hatred and the that this family on the wall reflects the undertones of the current family. I also enjoyed the second story line of the aging WWI vet, grandfather who is dying and also struggling with thoughts that he is tortured by to the point that his finally words, "I am in hell", are the last words Nick has from his grandfather. Themes of effects of violence on following generations, issues of violence, ideals of innocence and goodness, and sexuality. While I liked both stories, I did not feel that the author was fully successful in piecing them together.
Rating 3.6

4 stars

Another World by Pat Barker takes place in the current day, with a big portion of the story occurring in the memories of the old man who fought in WW1. Our main characters are Nick and his grandfather Geordie. Nick is a university professor who is there to help care for his grandpa who is at the end of his life. Geordie is a 101 year old man in his last days, and a veteran of the first world war. Although many other members of the family are present they are mostly unimportant and part of the background.

The story is really about memory. How does trauma affect it? What about age? Is Geordie's memory stronger as he nears his death or is it less reliable. I like how the author questions the permanence and reliability of memory. She uses her characters to show us how memory is colored by our personal views and experiences. Memory changes and adapts. It is about perception. What we value at one point in our life differs from other times and those values affect what we remember and how we see things. And sometimes the memories are also affected by the stories we hear from others. They intertwine and meld together changing the story.

But for me the power of this book was about its exploration of death and grief. These moments between Nick and Geordie were quite beautiful. The emotions were real and raw and brought to my mind my own feelings about the last week of my father's life. I found myself wishing that he had been more alert and verbal during that time so that I could relive it and ask him a million questions, probing his memory regardless of its malleability. Explorations of death always resonate with me. It is one experience that we will all face. Losing a person we loved is a universal experience and the emotions that are triggered are parallel to those of others in the similar place.

I have little to add to the above two reviews. I did not love this book particularly and gave it 3 stars. However, to echo Kelly, I did feel that the relationship between Geordie and Nick, Geordie and Frieda and Geordie and Helen all resonated with me more than the story of the family's domestic struggles.

Rating: 3 stars.

I concur with Gail's review. This was a disappointment for me. I found this book to have far too many loose ends. It had the potential to be really good, but didn't deliver, in my opinion.