Status Updates From The Invisible Life of Ivan ...

Belarus in 2005 was very poor, so no matter what they tried, Polina could not get a blood transfusion. From my place in the book, she just died, and right before she died, her best friend came to visit her just before she died, but she was not able to come to the hospital until then. This was because of money, and how scarce it was in Belarus.

Still not sure how I feel about this book. It's been a bit hard for me to connect with and I put it down for a few days. The part I just read was better, but I just don't quite jive with it yet. I think my biggest problem is with Ivan himself. Perhaps I'm just projecting my dislike for a character onto the story as a whole, but we haven't really seen much of Polina yet, so maybe I'll see a different perspective soon.

Polina is on the brink of death, and Ivan is trying everything he can, but resources are scarce and everything seems hopeless. Polina is not going to make it. And that's why I'm procrastinating on finishing. They've decided to read a book together, Polina's last book, they decided.
I noticed about halfway through part 2 of this book that Ivan was counting down, presumably to Polina's death, and I started crying.

In Ivan's world, there is a still a power dynamic between staff and patient, even if Ivan seemed so above it all. He tried to blackmail the director, but found that the director was still in charge. That, coupled with the fear of one of the nurses during the night while they were rendezvousing, showed how Belarus- or at least this hospital- values adults' power over children.

Ivan just learned that Polina is going to die, since she is becoming a "three monther". Since Polina is the most intelligent of the other children at the hospital, she was a prime subject of interest to Ivan, who wept for the first time in forever, since he was Belarusian. It was absolutely heartbreaking, and I am not in a hurry to finish the book and see Polina meet her end.

Finished Chapter 21- but I'm on audiobook, so I'm not sure about the page number. Something interesting about Belrusian culture- according to Ivan and the nurses around him, in comparison to Russians, Belarusians do not cry. They tend to be too proud, male or female.

Still not really drawn into the book. I don't really believe the narrators voice. It doesn't seem to actually fit the character.