21st Century Literature discussion
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A Reunion of Ghosts
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A Reunion of Ghosts - Part I, Chapters 6-10 (July 2015)
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I've read the whole book and do not know what is covered in these chapters so I will avoid specifics (Can't wait for the spoilers thread, as I think this book works better as a whole with themes than by chapters - but that's me!).I don't buy into the sins of the fathers, and I'm not convinced the sisters do either. I do think the flashbacks are good historical fiction, a genre I like, and were the most enjoyable parts of the novel for me.
I think only Lady made a bad husband choice. Vee's husband seems universally liked and likable. Delph's shyness, attachment to her sisters, and lack of personal knowledge about her father seems to have screwed her up royally. Certainly the screwed up family impacted the sisters, but I don't see a strong connection to the men that Lady and Vee married.
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Casceil wrote: "I was very surprised by how much of the family history in Reunion of Ghosts actually happened in the Haber family. "Ditto. So was I. I was researching the world web about the real people who were mentioned in the book and then acting on a hunch I simply googled 'gas used in gas cameras Jewish scientist', and his name was the first to pop. I was truly taken aback by the similarities.
Zulfiya wrote: "Casceil wrote: "I was very surprised by how much of the family history in Reunion of Ghosts actually happened in the Haber family. "Ditto. So was I. I was researching the world web about the real..."
The ARC version of the book I read discusses at the end the historical characters and provides a list of resources.
1. In my opinion, knowing the family's history is essential to understanding the sisters' belief that they are paying the price for their ancestors' sins. Including Albert Einstein increased my intrigue; I became more interested in finding out how close the story was to actual events and how the characters compared to the individuals' personalities that they were based on. The history also creates irony. 2. I agree with Linda on this one. I would add that Delph seemed incredibly insecure, and she found solace in her sisters (more irony).
2. Sisters meanwhile in the relative presence struggle with their personal lives - their marriages are either disastrous or Delphie never even marries. Do you think it is their past that 'miraculously' affects their marital choices or just a coincidence?
3. There is no present, past or future is the refrain of some chapters in the novel. Does this explain why flashbacks make up the substantial part of the novel?
4. Are sisters 'twins' of sorts co-joined together by their past and tragic history?
P.S. The author deals with very serious and most painful topic of Holocaust, and if you are interest in Fritz Haber, a German chemist of Jewish origin who received the Nobel prize in chemistry, here is an article for you http://www.britannica.com/biography/F...
As you have already figured out, the character of Lenz Otto Alter is based on his life, whose tragic and very morally ambiguous past shaped the life of his descendants in this novel.