It seems the summer is keeping us all too busy! In any case, we know some of you are there and we thank you. We specially thank Arantxa, who keeps sharing her always interesting thoughts with us. Although with some delay, we are here too, enjoying Ms. Munro and her stories.
How did you like "Nettles"?
In this story, the no-named narrator is a recently divorced, middle-aged woman who is confronted with her life and her feelings toward her ex-husband, kids, lover… In that context, she reencounters Mike, a friend of childhood.
How did you feel about the narrator? Do you think Mike has the same feelings that she has about their relationship as kids? What do you think is the meaning of Mike's revelation in the context of the story? What's the point? How does the reencounter affect the protagonist and the way she continues with her life?
Do you remember a similar story as a kid? Do you recall having similar (confusing?) feelings when looking back to old days and friends?
As with all Munro' stories, a lot of interesting things to reflect on.
How did you like "Nettles"?
In this story, the no-named narrator is a recently divorced, middle-aged woman who is confronted with her life and her feelings toward her ex-husband, kids, lover… In that context, she reencounters Mike, a friend of childhood.
How did you feel about the narrator? Do you think Mike has the same feelings that she has about their relationship as kids? What do you think is the meaning of Mike's revelation in the context of the story? What's the point? How does the reencounter affect the protagonist and the way she continues with her life?
Do you remember a similar story as a kid? Do you recall having similar (confusing?) feelings when looking back to old days and friends?
As with all Munro' stories, a lot of interesting things to reflect on.
i just wrote a full comment and it wasn't published! S**T!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I was saying, very good descriptions, you feel that you are with them in the house, with the kids playing war, with them in the golf course... Combination of past childhood and current events very well managed and characters feel very real.
Why he tells her? Because she is known and a stranger at the same time, and he needs to "confess", to let it out, out of his circle... Terrible drama, apparently this kind of accident is not so uncommon...
There are many people from childhood that you never re-encounter in life, maybe a little less than before in this facebook era?
Thank you, Nocookies Masters for the mention! :-) But also Macarena and Rocio are always there. Kudos to them too!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rocio in both her comments: the quality of the descriptions and the reason why he tells her about the accident. What a terrible accident. Sometimes it is easier to talk to someone who won’t judge you because he/she is completely out of your circle.
The descriptions transport the reader to the different moments in her life: inside the truck on a rainy day with the smelly dog, the tension and excitement when they accidentally meet again… I enjoyed that. I have fond memories of my childhood and I liked to imagine what it would be like to bump into some people again.
Facebook definitely changed the way we reencounter people, it increased the chances, although we lost some of those random surprises we sometimes get in life.
I have mixed feelings about the end of the story: I was looking forward to the story going further into their relationship, see what would happen with them if they started seeing each other. On the other hand I liked the way she got out of the way and let everyone continue with their lives. Sometimes it is better that way. She had an ideal image of him as kids and the relationship as adults might not work out.
I like how honest the main character is with herself. That profound knowledge and openness of the characters' personality is what I like the most about this book and about A. Munro' style.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked by Mike's revelation. How sad, how terribly dramatic. I was not sure what the revelation meant in the context of the relationship. I thought about openness, about wanting to share something very personal just because. Then, I read Rocio and Arantxa's comments and that makes so much sense. When I actually thought about it, I recalled finding myself telling things to a "new" friend that were quite personal. I feel the reason was that same one: the need to share something you have inside with somebody who you feel connected to somehow, but does not belong to your daily life.
Because of the sequence of the narration, with its flashbacks and mix of characters, I had to pay extra attention to certain parts and details, specially from the beginning. When I finished the story I actually felt I had to go back and read some parts again - By the way, does that happen to anybody else? Sometimes, specially if I am eager to turn the pages, I read faster than I reasonably can and I miss many nuances of the story, characters, or style.
In my mind, I had so much knowledge of the protagonist's life that I was shocked to re-realized that the story is just about 30 pages. How can you convey so much in just a few pages? Well, I guess that's way you become a reputed short story writer…
The story made me think about childhood friends and experiences, and how memories about a certain friendship, or summer, or adventure might be different among different people. In this case, it is interesting that the narrator and Mike remember different things of the old days. I think the feelings towards the relationship are different too. Even if only because the narrator is female and Mike a man.
I felt the end was what it had to be. He had his family, she had a life to put together. As Arantxa says, she had an ideal image of him and their relationship and probably would not work out as adults. What I did not completely get was the beginning-end. Why was she going back there with her second husband? Just driving around? Why did she feel like finding the house and the golf course?
Anyway, as I said, I liked the end :-)