Discussion: The Kindness of Enemies

[Beverly]

Entire Book Open For Discussion

[Beverly]

We have not really talked about Oz.

Do you think he was unfairly targeted for sympathizing with Islam or was he just expressing curiosity and pride in being a descendant of Imam Shamil?

Did you think that holding him for 10 days was overkill?

What did you think of Oz's decision to leave university and move to Cardiff?

[George]

In the end, it's hard to say why exactly he was targeted. at least I don't recall anything specific, but even his closest friends didn't seem certain that there couldn't have been a reason. perhaps someone at school gave his name to the authorities. of course, he was Muslim and these days once folks get it into their heads he might be a problem, everything appears to be suspicious.

was 10 days overkill or not? given there was nothing produced of any interest during the 10 days, yes, I'd say so. there doesn't appear to have been any reason to hold him at all other than some sort of general suspicion. so, why not give him back Shamil's sword? hacking snow men with it is a tad peculiar, but not exactly the weapon of choice in a major incident. these days it seems cars and trucks are more useful.

as for leaving the university, I suppose it made sense. it's not like the university folks didn't suspect him after he was picked up. would he ever have been clear of that? probably not. just because the authorities didn't find anything, that doesn't absolutely indicate there wasn't something they may have missed.

[Wilhelmina]

I liked that the author left it an open question as to whether or not he had been radicalized. It makes the issue of fairness more difficult. If we knew definitively that he was innocent, clearly his treatment was unfair. But what if he had been radicalized, but had taken no illegal actions? Would we still consider the treatment to be unfair?

[Beverly]

While I liked the historical part of this book more than the contemporary part - Oz's experience has been on my mind mainly because of our times and I wonder what policies/procedures will be implemented if the "fear" grows among our population.

I certainly understood why Oz left the university and I think that it shows that he knows who he is and is secure in his beliefs.

And the issue of someone being picked up because of being at a certain place, saying something, associating with someone, based on someone being suspicious - at times seems so evasive to me.

And as Wilhelmina said makes the issue of fairness so difficult.
And there will always be some that are overzealous.

[Beverly]

What are your final thoughts on this novel?

Would you recommend to others?

Would you read another book by the author?

[William]

And of the over zealousness, the radicalization of the police state? I tend to believe that Oz was doing research on his distant relative or school project and may have in the process visited some radical Islamic sites. But we live in times where just one such mouse click can send the spy and intelligence agencies into a rabid witch hunt. The result of which just ten days in jail without charges or trial is a light punishment indeed. There was no evidence that he had been radicalized. Is arbitrary incarceration the price we are willing to pay on the assumption that he might have been?

[ColumbusReads]

I enjoyed this book more than I would've ever realized. Never would I have selected this book had it not been selected for this group. Just makes me realize I need to expand my reading experience to include more books such as this.

The Shamil/Caucasian war section was more enjoyable to me but that should absolutely take nothing away from the contemporary rural Scotland section. I enjoyed that section very much as well. I would've liked to have had a more definitive explanation however on the Oz situation. It just seemed to me that storyline seemed most paramount to that particular section of the book and then sort of abandoned. It was such a central and important part of this book and not to mention most prescient and relative to what's happening now that to leave one hanging seemed to me a missed opportunity to say something important. But, then politics are second to character as the author claimed so maybe it just not as important to delve any further into.

Overall a 4.5 read for me and I will definitely look out for future work by this author.

[ColumbusReads]

Another thing the author said in that interview I found curious. I'm paraphrasing but she said something about she wanted to tell the story of Natasha's homelessness vs this being perceived as a political novel. She sort of lost me there.

[Wilhelmina]

I think that she did a good job of showing multiple characters who were caught between cultures. Identifying home seemed to be the recurring theme.

I found it interesting that, after years of fighting for his homeland, Shamil found such a welcoming home in the Muslim world at the end of his life. I wonder whether Natasha will finally feel at home in that world too.

[Beverly]

One of my main takeaways from this book is how the author explored home and belonging. And how each character found a way to find a home and/or be comfortable on where they landed even if it is not the "home" they wanted.

Anna after returning seems to be more content and carried Georgia in her heart and relished in her children.

Natasha after her visit back to Sudan resolved some of the demons with her past, came back to Scotland and was finding a way to be more comfortable with being a Muslim

Shamil was able to reconcile living and being a puppet of the Czar with being a Muslim

Jamaleldin - I thought would have the most difficult time readjusting back into his former life, found some inner peace within himself and his illness/death cut short his life before more difficult decisions needed to be made.

Oz - I think was still finding himself and how he would find into the world.

All the characters found out that there was probably never going to be an ideal situation for finding "home" but needed to be self-assured on who you are so you can make the best of the world you have to live in.

[Beverly]

I was reminded of the question did the author write a political novel when I was reading an interview with another author, Samanta Schweblin, this morning and she was asked this question.

Here is an excerpt from that interview:

SS: Ricardo Piglia — a great Argentinian writer that we have just lost this year — said that a story has always two stories inside. The superficial is the one you read, the one that shows what is apparently happening, the simple plot. The second one is the underground story, and you discover part of it when you finish your reading. The big secret is to tell the underground story narrating the superficial one. This idea gave me a lot of freedom in my writing when I realized that for me the most precious thing is that amazing sensation of discovering the underground -even if it is just a suspicion or a particular feeling. I want to put this feeling in the reader’s chest. So I become very flexible with the plot, with the characters, with the genre. Being so attached to the final feeling gave me more freedom during the process.

Interviewer: Does this in any way reflect a politics for you?

SS: Maybe, I don’t know. I relate that way of work more with a philosophy than a politics. Political intentions could be a little bit dangerous for a book. I had political intentions when I started to work in Fever Dream, of course. The book deals with the agro-toxic issue, a big, dangerous new problem for the Argentinian’s health. In fact, this is the first time in the Argentine literature that a book address this topic. And it shows this as a real, cruel and possible way to die.
But in the middle of the writing process, I found myself in a big “politics” dilemma. I could say names, companies, cities, government, I could be really concrete about the negligence underlying this story. But on the other side, it is a very intimate and personal story, and the more testimonial my narrator become, the more away from the reader I felt. At the end, I made myself this question: what would be more effective as an alarm of danger for the reader? Being informative, or achieve a very authentic feeling that something really serious and real is happening, and that this is closer to the reader than he thinks? 
People always forget about numbers, names, all kind of information, but they never forget a strong feeling. Maybe to turn on a mute alarm is the most effective way inform, that would be in any case my politics. 

Here is the link to the full interview:
http://www.full-stop.net/2017/03/29/i...

[ColumbusReads]

I applaud the author for telling such a compelling story, two stories in fact - and introducing many of us to the interesting and fascinating, Imam Shamil. A rather different and complex man in many ways. I liked the humanity he espoused but I do wonder how he would function in a modern day jihad with ISIS and some of the other groups out here. How ruthless would he be.

[Beverly]

Thanks to all that participated in the discussion.
The thread will remain open for those who would like to add comments.

[Wilhelmina]

Thank you, Beverly! Great discussion and I would definitely read another book by this author.

[Nadine in California]

Wilhelmina wrote: "Thank you, Beverly! Great discussion and I would definitely read another book by this author."

Ditto! I loved the book and the discussion!

[Janey]

My reading has been out of sync with the group -- sorry to be out of touch. I just finished Underground Railroad and am starting Swing Time. I did read Blood of the Dawn last year -- if we were discussing that one, I could chime in. The Kindness of Enemies sounds interesting, but I doubt I'll get to it in time. Maybe over the summer I can get back in sync. Thank you all for carrying on a discussion I enjoy eavesdropping on, about books!

[ColumbusReads]

Janey wrote: "My reading has been out of sync with the group -- sorry to be out of touch. I just finished Underground Railroad and am starting Swing Time. I did read Blood of the Dawn last year -- if we were dis..."

Janey, no worry, Blood of the Dawn is our April discussion so you're actually right on time. And as Beverly stated, you can comment here anytime or add to any of the past discussions as well.