The Bat by Jo Nesbø

[Almeta]

Dom and I are starting The Bat by Jo Nesbø on February 7th.

We hope to continue through the series and catch up with Jannene at book #5, and then keep going with her in tow..

Anyone else ready to get involved in this series? Please join us..

[Cherie]

I already read it, but I will check in once in a while. I don't have the second book, but I can get it, I'm sure. I own #4 and # 6 (got them at library shelf.)

[Casceil]

I've ordered a used copy of the Bat, and it should get here in time.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I'll happily join in when you get to #3!

[Sarah]

And I'm in from #4!

[Casceil]

My copy of the Bat has arrived, so I am ready to start any time.

[Almeta]

Today's the day!

Have a bit left on my current book. Will start later this afternoon.

Looking forward to our chat!

[Casceil]

I'm about half-way through my "number" book, so I won't be starting just yet, either.

[Dominique]

L'm starting the book right now!

[Casceil]

I just finished my "number book," so I will be starting this afternoon as well.

[Casceil]

I have reached Chapter 12, which starts on page 74 of my copy. The book moves quickly. The chapters are short, and the scenes change pretty much every chapter. I'm enjoying reading it, but haven't really seen anything I want to comment on.

[Dominique]

Casceil wrote: "I have reached Chapter 12, which starts on page 74 of my copy. The book moves quickly. The chapters are short, and the scenes change pretty much every chapter. I'm enjoying reading it, but haven't ..."

I like the fact that the chapters are short and fast. I agree, so far nothing to really comment on.

[Casceil]

I read a little more before I went to sleep last night. I hit a section break. The last chapter of the first section, however, spent a fair amount of time on a story about a snake. I wondered if I was supposed to be getting some deeper meaning from that story. To me, it just seemed like a digression.

[Almeta]

Walla
Got that joke about Harry's name out of the way immediately! No orifices.☻

I know right away the set up is that Harry will NOT be taking a back seat, despite all the warning off he's been given!

I wonder why Andrew Kensington (view spoiler)[was assigned with Harry. Originally it was to be Watkins. Neil McCormack implied that Harry asked for Andrew, which Harry started to deny. Should I be paying attention to what this may mean? (hide spoiler)]
Andrew's character is perfect for giving (view spoiler)[the history of Australia's indigenous people, while he and Harry are in route to different leads. (hide spoiler)]

Who was the man who (view spoiler)[waved to, and was ignored by Andrew in Green Park? (hide spoiler)]

[Almeta]

Casceil wrote: "....The last chapter of the first section, however, spent a fair amount of time on a story about a snake. I wondered if I was supposed to be getting some deeper meaning from that story. To me, it just seemed like a digression. ..."

The point of the snake story went over my head as well!

Must mean something, since the sections of the book are named after each of the main characters of the fable. I'm just not clever enough to "get it".

[Casceil]

I assumed that the reason Andrew was assigned with Harry was that Andrew told his boss Harry requested it.

[Almeta]

Moora
I really like how (view spoiler)[playful and at ease Harry and Birgitta are with each other. I liked that Nesbø revealed that they partnered in sex without being salacious. (hide spoiler)]

Clever introduction to current event, (view spoiler)[Native Title registration, by having it be a television news item, which Harry's bar-stool neighbor, Otto Rechtnagel, can then explain to him. (hide spoiler)]

Uh oh, Is the reappearance at the bar, (view spoiler)[of the song from Harry's airplane seatmate, portentous? The lyrics can certainly be interpreted as murderous! (hide spoiler)]

Now Harry is buying (view spoiler)["Where the Wild Roses Grow" from Murder Ballads by Nick Cave. (So there is a murder connection!) Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds are an Australian group and this album actually exists. (hide spoiler)]

Now Robin Toowoomba delivers the history (view spoiler)[ lesson...about an Australian government edict when children of mixed marriages were gathered up by whites and taken to settlements to be assimilated. I remember reading a non-fiction book and watching a film about this period in Australia's history: Rabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time. (hide spoiler)]

Imagine waking up to (view spoiler)[a great white shark staring you in the eye!☺ (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 26 - 32 (view spoiler)[I just can't picture Otto as the killer. The locations of the circus performances is pretty compelling evidence though.

Why is Andrew soooo upset? What is his connection to Otto?

Okay, I'm confused now. Otto's murdered. Andrew is dead, by his own hand? I don't want to believe that. (hide spoiler)]

[Casceil]

What happens to children of mixed blood (part white, part Native American) has long been an issue in the United States. There was a time when Native American children were gathered up and sent to places like the Phoenix Indian School, where they were taught English and forbidden to speak Navajo. Today the fight has moved to adoptions. I don't remember the details clearly, but I believe there is a case pending somewhere in which a Native American child of an unwed Navajo mother gave her baby up for adoption by a white couple, and the tribe is fighting to get that baby returned to the reservation. I'll have to look up the details.

Meanwhile, back at the book. I have just finished Chapter 33, and I am feeling a little bit whipsawed. (view spoiler)[ When Harry visited Andrew in the hospital, and talked about how Otto kept turning up, I assumed Harry believed Andrew knew Otto was the killer, and did not want to expose him himself, but kept throwing him in Harry's way so that Harry would catch him. Now, it looks like Andrew was a heroin addict, Otto was his supplier, and they kept running into Otto so Andrew could purchase drugs from him. I feel sure there are more twists and turns to come. (hide spoiler)]

[Dominique]

L`m at chapter 31,


(view spoiler)[Is Andrew a guilty party in all of this. Him being almost hysterical when Harry said that Otto will be arrested and now he disappeared from the hospital raises questions. Now that Otto is dead, who is this killer (hide spoiler)]

[Casceil]

You will find out soon, Dominique. At least, I think so. There may be more twists ahead and perhaps things are not as they seem.

[Dominique]

Casceil wrote: "You will find out soon, Dominique. At least, I think so. There may be more twists ahead and perhaps things are not as they seem."

Can`t wait, l`m intrigued!

[Sarah]

I'm enjoying reading your thoughts on this book. I think I've already said I'll join in when you get to Nemesis. Are you planning on keeping this thread for the whole series or opening separate ones for each book? Whichever you prefer. I think it would be good if you guys could put your spoilers in spoiler tags though either way.

[Cherie]

Good grief! I just read this a little over a month ago and I can't think what some of your comments are about. Maybe I should get it back from Amy and go at it again. Then I could use it for the Carlsbad Caverns task and not make Janice spit out her coffee when she sees what I have posted there.

[Almeta]

Cherie wrote: "Good grief! I just read this a little over a month ago and I can't think what some of your comments are about. Maybe I should get it back from Amy and go at it again. Then I could use it for the Carlsbad Caverns task and not make Janice spit out her coffee when she sees what I have posted there. ."

lol! I had to peek. Clever choice. Do you really want to read it?

Come join us instead!☺

[Janice, Moderator]

Cherie... you brat! LOL! I also want to know if you really want to read that book. Don't make me get out my bat.

[Sarah]

I've noticed some of you have gone back and edited your posts to include spoiler tags so thank you. It would be great if those who haven't, could :-)

[Cherie]

ROFL! I couldn't get over to Amy's house tonight, but hopefully she will let me dry a basket of laundry tomorrow night and get my book after I get off of work.

Yes and no about the Mantle book, but it was the only one I could find with the right cover. :0)

[Almeta]

Bubbur

I just knew (view spoiler)[ that Andrew was not murdered! Still, I can't figure out what he was secretly up to. (hide spoiler)]

Harry is really (view spoiler)[a mess. I want him to come back to his senses and quit the booze again, but he just keeps on guzzling. I feel as though he will never be sober again. Making me tense. (hide spoiler)]

Funny how Joseph (view spoiler)[and Harry's circumstances seemed to have swapped places. I would never have pictured Joseph operating a lawn mower!☺ (hide spoiler)]

I never gave Toowoomba (view spoiler)[ a thought, although I should have. Nesbø doesn't really waste print with unimportant things!☺
Toowoomba is "The Black Snake" of this story; posing as a friend, but is a deadly enemy to everyone. (hide spoiler)]

Heartless (view spoiler)[that Andrew could have been so easily killed. Andrew wasted his love on an undeserving person. I understand why Andrew couldn't arrest Robin. But that lead to his own death. (hide spoiler)]

I can't believe (view spoiler)[Birgitta is dead! (hide spoiler)]

What a show (view spoiler)[the aquarium visitors got! Imagine the number of traumatized people afterward! (hide spoiler)].

Rose (view spoiler)[tattoo a nice touch. Do you think Harry will ever be sober again? (hide spoiler)]

Glad Joseph and Harry (view spoiler)[ went skydiving. Seemed like ending on a happier note. (hide spoiler)]

I am glad that I waited for the translation before starting this series. I have noticed that people who had to start somewhere in the middle were not as impressed by this "first" book as I was. Definitely want to continue.

I enjoyed all the historical tidbits, and thought they were naturally and cleverly introduced. I did feel that I was reading a textbook.

Sydney itself is an interesting city. Among the beautiful sites such as the city's famous opera house, aquarium and upscale hotels, there is an underbelly of seedy bars, drugs and prostitution,. You meet tourists, transplanted citizens, native peoples and seemingly a large gay population.

Nimbin, Australia seems a much more laid back counter-culture reminiscent of the 1960s.

[Dominique]

I finished the book last night

(view spoiler)[I was suprise that Birgitta was killed, in some ways I was thinking that maybe she would be part of the series. I knew Andrew was killed, he didn`t seem like the guy who would kill himself. I din`t peg him as a drug user. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ I was suprised that it was Andrew`s friend Toowoomba was the guilty one, like Harry I was disappointed that it wasn`t him to killed him but the great white (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ Did not expect that his Relationship with Kristin ended the way that it did (hide spoiler)]

[Almeta]

Dominique (Dom) wrote: ".....I was suprise that Birgitta "

Yes, I also (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

[Almeta]

Dominique (Dom) wrote: "I...like Harry I was disappointed that it"

I don't know! (view spoiler)[Don't you think being eaten by a shark is a pretty good punishment, compared to just being shot? (hide spoiler)]

[Dominique]

Almeta wrote: "Dominique (Dom) wrote: "I...like Harry I was disappointed that it"

I don't know! [spoilers removed]"

Yes but (view spoiler)[the fact that he killed Birgitta, whom Harry was in love with would of been a great death by his hands but still getting killed by a shark was a gruesome way to die. (hide spoiler)]

[Almeta]

Casceil wrote: "....The last chapter of the first section, however, spent a fair amount of time on a story about a snake. I wondered if I was supposed to be getting some deeper meaning from that story. To me, it just seemed like a digression. ..."

Almeta wrote: "....The point of the snake story went over my head as well! Must mean something, since the sections of the book are named after each of the main characters of the fable. I'm just not clever enough to "get it".

Chapter 55 paragraph 5 (view spoiler)[
Blood rushed in his ears, in surges, and Harry was the young warrior Walla, and Toowoomba was the snake Bubbur, who had taken the life of his beloved Moora. And now Bubbur had to be killed. By love. (hide spoiler)]

[Almeta]

Dominique (Dom) wrote: "Almeta wrote: "Dominique (Dom) wrote: "I...like Harry I was disappointed that it"

I don't know! [spoilers removed]"

Yes but [spoilers removed]"

True (view spoiler)[It would have fit his role as Walla of the fable much better. (hide spoiler)]

[Dominique]

Almeta wrote: "Dominique (Dom) wrote: "Almeta wrote: "Dominique (Dom) wrote: "I...like Harry I was disappointed that it"

I don't know! [spoilers removed]"

Yes but [spoilers removed]"

True [spoilers removed]"

Exactly!

[Casceil]

About the end: (view spoiler)[I hated it that the author killed off Birgitta. As far as what happened to Toowoomba, being shot first and then eaten alive by a shark sounds about right. (hide spoiler)]

As for the book overall, I enjoyed many of the early parts, but later parts seemed a bit confusing, probably deliberately so, and I found that rather annoying. I'm not sure whether I want to read any more of this series or not.

[Cherie]

Almeta - regarding your remark about the translation and waiting to read this one first: I remember asking Janice what was the big deal about Harry, when I was reading the book the first time. I liked him, but I thought he was a mess. I understand he gets better, if that is really the correct term. I think I had absolutely all of the same reactions as your spoilers in message 28. I think I looked up the fable after I finished reading.

I was/am on the fence with Casceil about the rest of the series, but I already own a few of the other books, so I will continue, probably.

oh and B (view spoiler)[I was so disappointed that she was killed. I really liked her! (hide spoiler)]

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Few things.

Where the Wild Roses Grow was sung in duet with Kylie Minogue and was a huge hit here in 1997.

We call the removal of mixed race or Indigenous children from their families for over 70 or so years "The Stolen Generation". This is a big part of our Indigenous peoples history and our nation, but it's only really been acknowledged for the past 25 years or so, and Sorry was only said in 2011 for this. It's a pretty horrific history, honestly.

Sydney is really like any big city in the world. There are interesting and then more normal bits.

Nimbin is our hippy town in the most beautiful part of Australia. Possibly have heard of the town next door called Byron Bay. Alternative, new age, hippy... they have major music festivals there each year - Splendour in the Grass for modern music, Bluesfest for blues and roots.

You guys talking about Toowoomba confuses me as it's a city in Queensland. Got my bearings again now.

I like that Harry is a mess. It fits the old detective trope for me. So he likes to drink. He also solves murders and locks baddies away.

[Casceil]

Returning to what I said in message 18 about adoption of Native American children, I looked up that case, and I had the facts wrong. A Hispanic mother gave birth to the child of a member of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. The parents were engaged, but the mother broke it off sometime after she learned she was pregnant. Father was in the military and stationed four hours away from mother. Mother sent a text to father inquiring whether he would rather pay child support or surrender his parental rights. Father responded by text that he would surrender his rights. Mother selected as adoptive parents a white couple living in South Carolina. When the child was born, mother lied and claimed the baby was pure Hispanic, and the adoption went through. When the adoption papers were served on the father, he was about to ship out for a 12 month deployment in Iraq. Father consulted a JAG attorney (army lawyer) and filed papers in Oklahoma to establish paternity and child support. The adoptive couple filed a special appearance in the Oklahoma suit, and got that suit dismissed. In the meantime, however, the Cherokee nation identified the father as a tribal member, and the tribe intervened in the South Carolina action. DNA testing confirmed that the father was the biological father. The South Carolina Court found that the Indian Child Welfare Act ("ICWA") applied, which might have required the return of the child to the Tribe, but the adoptive couple had not met its burden under a section of ICWA that required them to show active measures had been taken to prevent the breakup of the Indian family. Issues arose about the Constitutionality of ICWA, and the case ultimately went to the U.S. Supreme Court. That court, in a sharply divided opinion, left the child with the adoptive parents, but emphasized that its holding was limited to the particular set of facts before it.

In general, ICWA is designed to keep Native American or partially Native American babies on the reservation if any tribal member wants to adopt them, in preference to non-Native American parents. The thinking behind this is that the children are the future of the Tribe, and should remain within the Tribe if anyone there is prepared to raise them.

[Almeta]

Casceil wrote: "Returning to what I said in message 18 about adoption of Native American children, I looked up that case, and I had the facts wrong. A Hispanic mother gave birth to the child of a member of the Che..."

Pretty convoluted case! Thanks for clarifying it.

[Cherie]

I need to go to bed, but figured I should report in, now that I found the thread again.

I am liking Harry a lot better this time, but I am sure it is because I'm paying more attention. I just finished chapter 23.

Ch 20 (view spoiler)[The fight in the Cricket bar was crazy amazing! I am sure I thought he was CRAZY the first time I read it but laughed like an idiot when Harry greeted "Genghis Khan" after the tall guy stood up. I had totally forgotten! (hide spoiler)]

Ch 23 (view spoiler)[I like Otto and how he made Harry blush! I loved Harry watching Birgitta work and how she grinned at him. I had forgotten all of the background about Andrew and Toowoomba. And I definitely paid attention to the black snake story! (hide spoiler)]

Night all!

[Dominique]

Are we doing book 2 in March?

[Almeta]

Dominique (Dom) wrote: "Are we doing book 2 in March?"

YES! Great idea. Have a start date in mind?

I'll set the thread up.

[Dominique]

How about the 6th?

[Almeta]

Dominique (Dom) wrote: "How about the 6th?"

Works for me!

[Dominique]

Almeta wrote: "Dominique (Dom) wrote: "How about the 6th?"

Works for me!"

Great!

[Cherie]

I finished the book again this weekend. It was a much better read the second time, mostly because I was really paying attention.

Re ending: (view spoiler)[ I think it was very fitting that Toowoomba got eaten by the shark, but I still do not understand why he was hanging out at the Aquarium. I thought it was a stupid place to hide. (hide spoiler)]
I will read the 2nd one with you. It is on order and should be here this week.

[Almeta]

Cherie wrote: "...I will read the 2nd one with you. It is on order and should be here this week. ..."

That's great news!☺

[Casceil]

Re Cherie's comment on the ending (view spoiler)[ I think he thought the interior hiding space he had was something that could not be found. (hide spoiler)]

I haven't decided yet whether to read Cockroaches.