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In what appears to be a teasing bite, pages xi-xiii , they do not disappoint. Like that single bite, using only one word, what were your thoughts while reading these particular pages

The title, There but for the, did it call upon anything in particular to you?

And, now we can officially start. A full plate of something! There

was once a man who, one night between the main course and the sweet at a dinner party, went upstairs and locked himself in one of the bedrooms of the house of the people who were giving the dinner party.

This is all you, let’s take a closer look at all the aspects you most savored, what you found questionable, disturbingly funny, and even what did not groove with you.

Please use this course to discuss everything through the end of There .

"You do, actually, he says, because Abba songs, as anyone who knows knows, are constructed, technically and harmonically, so as to physically imprint the human brain as if biting it with acid, to ensure we will never, ever, ever, be able to forget them. In twenty years� time Abba songs will still be being sung, probably even more than they’re being sung now."

This is a fundamental truism of the universe. I think I need memory extraction to remove them.

I sure hope there is a bathroom in that bedroom. This had to be a lot harder to write than to read. I'm beginning to like it, but it takes a while to distinguish North, South, East, and West.

pages xi-xiii
One word...peculiar.

The Title
Upon reading it for the first time, I thought of the quote There but for the grace of God go I.

While There is supposed to be Anna K/Anna Hardie centered, her story seemed to fall to the wayside with characters like Genevieve Lee and the neighbor's child, Brooke, fluttering about in this section. I loved those two, I found them to be extremely entertaining: Genevieve, who is rather pretentious and self absorbed, her couldn't be bothered but is bothered by everything attitude; and the extremely intelligent precocious child, Brooke. They both cracked me up!

letter... Can we talk about the letter Genevieve wrote Anna K., or even their actual meeting? I mean, can you imagine receiving this kind of letter from a stranger? Oh, I'm totally laughing while writing this! Genevieve writes to Anna K.,

We are slipping flat packs of wafer-paper-thin turkey and ham to him with anything more dimensional because of the size of the space between the said door and the floor. (Our spare room door, in fact all the upstairs doors in our house are believed 18th century although the house itself dates from the 1820's you can understand my concern and the hinges are on the inside side (7-8).

I could see how hard she was trying, refraining from saying what she really wanted to say, instead keeping her composure. Yet, the stream of consciousness writing exposes her as being anything but; she's beside herself and ultimately quite frantic about the situation at hand, and understandably so.

It's already known Miles is a vegetarian, learning that Gen was sliding deli meat underneath the door because "beggars can't be choosers" was not only ridiculous ( really, that's what she was going to stand firm on?) but it's also what would only fit through the door space. Ha!

Gen's vintage 18th century doors, not only keep people out of what is Miles' current captivity, but also holds the Lee family as prisoners to an odd circumstance.

the meeting... bah-hahahahaha. Oh, my! Genevieve sure wanted to unload the responsibility of Miles on somebody...on anybody other than herself! I seriously doubt that if Anna had been successful in getting Miles out at that time, I don't think Genevieve would have ever asked about Miles' well-being thereafter.

I think Brooke must be an only child, there's no way her personality reflects having siblings. Smhl. This little girl, I expect big things from her. I'm intrigued by why Smith chose to leave out the fact that Brooke has an ethnic background, she’s black; did anybody notice this? Of course, Smith leaves out a lot here and there, realizing it is like finding an Easter egg.

Anna K./Anna Hardie ...the presence of someone always watching you, the idea of 24/7 surveillance was daunting to read about in the manner in which Smith exposes it through Anna. The funny thing about Anna is that on some level she may even admire Miles for shutting himself up, away from the world and the chaos of it all. She's clearly at a stage in life where she's ready for something to change, little did she know that the re-emergence of Miles would ignite the nostalgia of a more carefree and happier time for her. In this sense, her sadness, she was memorable and so much wholesome than Genevieve Lee.

Miles.. he seems to be a genuine guy. The memory of Anna's, of him mopping up spilled tea with his socked foot like a ninja-like deftness was revealing, wasn't it? Although, she sure noticed it, didn't she?

Xan Shadowflutter wrote: ""You do, actually, he says, because Abba songs, as anyone who knows knows, are constructed, technically and harmonically, so as to physically imprint the human brain as if biting it with acid, to e..."

I recall the quote you posted, I was wondering at the time the various ways we recall memories using the senses.

For some reason, I'm beginning to think that it's probably a lot more difficult for the reader than it is for her to have written it. From what I've read about her, she's exceptionally clever.

bathroom... I'm going to have to find where this detail is revealed, but he's in the only guest room with a bathroom in it. I don't think it's too much of a ripe note. I'll find it for you, Xan. :)

By the way, I'm glad you made it. It's great to see you!

Cheers!

Thanks.

Hugh wrote: "What I expect from an Ali Smith novel: wordplay and playful language, breadth of references (especially artistic and literary ones), quirky characters, precocious children, human struggles against ..."

Hugh, what I wanted to ask you earlier about your post is if you thought Ali Smith was using the addition of precocious children as a vehicle to drive her own voice? Some of what you expect in her novels, at least from what I’ve read in “TBFT,� is the embodiment of our young Brooke...yes, no, meh?

Pgs xi -- viii
I saw this as a kind of framing device for what might follow in the book. And I kinda loved it. It starts with "The fact is, imagine a man... " You don't imagine facts!!! Immediately, Smith wants to mix reality and fiction. Then she takes what is normally a "flat" image on a page or screen (a person with "censor bars" over their face/body) and makes it real. And once the child frees the man from these restrictions, they make paper airplanes, which seemed like a wonderful metaphor to me: you take something flat/2-dimensional and then by folding/re-shaping it, you get dimension, weight, and the ability to set it in motion. Which, to me, sounds a lot like what fiction/storytelling does.

Something about Smith's writing delightfully sets off all sorts of synapses in my little brain.

Marc wrote: "Pgs xi -- viii
I saw this as a kind of framing device for what might follow in the book. And I kinda loved it. It starts with "The fact is, imagine a man... " You don't imagine facts!!! Immediately..."

Marc,
Thank you for the wise words!

Sarah wrote: "Thank you..."
Thank you for the compliment. If I'm lucky most of the time, semi-coherent is where my posts fall. Your first impressions, Sarah?

Your first impressions, Sarah?"
I posted in Amuse Bouche and don't seem to have any more thoughts until p61. Hmmm........

I loved Brooke, the precocious nine-year-old in this book. Her sense of fun and even her detailed knowledge of Shakespeare, made her very likable. But then I thought, she is the creation of an intelligent well-educated author, who can make her as clever as a professor if she wants. Smith's skill is to make her both plausible but also to keep us liking her throughout the story.

I have a question for future discussion - who is the boy in pages xi-xiii? This may need to come at a later stage.

I was confounded by the intro, but quite loved Anna and the start of this interesting book. (Marcus, let's chat in the "whole book" discussion when you're finished!)

Marc, I love your take on the opening!

About the bathroom, we're told early-on, in the letter from Gen to Anna, "I am only relieved the bedroom is ensuite." (Using relieved there struck my funny bone.)

About the title, I had the same quote Ami mentioned go through my head, but something behind that's been haunting me that I just figured out. There's an old Simon and Garfunkel song called "Kathy's Song" that is beautifully poetic, and ends with this stanza:
And as I watch the drops of rain
Weave their weary paths and die
I know that I am like the rain
There but for the grace of you go I

So far I find Anna intriguing and Miles endearing. I love the way Smith writes Genevieve's dialog.

Lastly, what I love most are the little details. The way Brooke's voice comes into the Gen/Anna conversation from behind the chair; the way Gen and Anna alternately look at the couch where Miles' jacket was left, the description of Brooke's laughter, that whole thing with Miles' foot mentioned above ...

Ami,

Now now, per your first post on this thread, we've got an author who is VERY deliberate in her orthological transgressions. Her title for the book is There but for the., not There But For The.

That opening chaper (xi - xiii) is still confounding for me. Any ideas? Likewise the concluding chapter of the "There" section; is this the composition the teenaged Anna wrote?

Smith is so good at building the different personalities through her dialog. For instance, Jen's use of "ensuite", which to me sounds like a real estate agent's speech, encapsulates her view of the world as something to be valued by its monetary worth. Ditto the wonderful beam in the dining room. Or her pitiful attempt on P12 to ask Brooke to leave without saying the nasty words needed.

Ami wrote: "In what appears to be a teasing bite, pages xi-xiii , they do not disappoint. Like that single bite, using only one word, what were your thoughts while reading these particular pages? ..."

I’m rereading the book. I just love the generic pun Gen + Eric). The first part is about the role of language in society and I think Smith pulls this off well.

Even before we get to the Gen-Eric pun, the first letter is signed Gen Lee, which made me think: generally, General Lee, etc. And Anna Hardie last name almost sounds like hardly. Puns and wordplay certainly feature prominently (I missed the "relieved" one Kathleen spotted!)


I believe it was Mark who pointed out how Smith conveys Brooke's race/non-white status with the one word "But" (Anna expected Gen to be black based on having met Brooke outside first, so who Gen answers the door we get "But" a white woman came to the door; a few pages later Gen makes a side comment about Brooke's parents not coming from Africa--both of these instances about each character's expectations). Through these little details we take on the perspective of the characters (while it's getting ahead of things, the same thing plays out in the But chapter with Gen's name being spelled differently based on which character is talking and their understanding of what her name actually is or how it is spoken). Gen never seems to miss a chance to comment on homosexuals as a group whenever she mentions Mark either (this should be a fun discussion with a Marcus, a Mark, and a Marc as members and a character named Mark, too!).

Even though Gen is not exactly likable, I found her characterization of Miles coloring my first impressions, so that I was surprised at how charming and likable he seems once we get to hear about his backstory a bit. Did others expect him to be unlikeable or find their initial thoughts reversed?

I like that none of this wordplay or technique ever gets in the way of Smith's stories. It just seems integrally woven into the narrative adding that much more nuance and depth.

Ah but. First the butt pun, then miles says it’s a diversion then we find out it unites. Thus the title is therefor the?? Coupled with the explanation of therefore in the linguistic heavy first half makes playful reading

Marc wrote: "Pgs xi -- viii
I saw this as a kind of framing device for what might follow in the book. And I kinda loved it. It starts with "The fact is, imagine a man... " You don't imagine facts!!! Immediately..."

Nice...really nice! You’re eating up the narrative and it’s great to see! Keep it coming! You quite literally have hit the nail on the head with your first impressions of this novel with the fallowing juxtaposition of words, fact...imagine . It’s even more exciting going back through and reading the passage a second time while keeping your post in mind!

Yes, the 2-D strips being removed from the man, freeing him from the restrictions, I too saw as a metaphor. Either as a backstory for one of the characters, or the association of Brooke to these characters, I wasn't clear on, nor am I still. A child's innocence, their fresh eyes looking upon the idiosyncrasies of a complex world, not being complex at all to them. A simple enough solution like making a paper airplane out of paper strips, a situation perceived as hopeless to some adults; it would be freeing to them, the removal of the censor bars at the hands of an innocent.

I was tickled by the irony of it all through much of There, having a better handle on Smith's inner workings in but. It's not as avant garde as you have mentioned of other experimental fiction; yet, it is unorthodox enough, to where I'm still excited by it all.

Marcus wrote: "I loved Brooke, the precocious nine-year-old in this book. Her sense of fun and even her detailed knowledge of Shakespeare, made her very likable. But then I thought, she is the creation of an inte..."

I've been singing Brooke's praises to the point of where I'm beginning to sound redundant. :)

I have a question for future discussion - who is the boy in pages xi-xiii? This may need to come at a later stage.
I'm not sure as of yet; however, I do try to expand on this in m19.

Xan Shadowflutter wrote: "Thanks."

Bathroom
Kathleen beat me to it in m13! Thanks, Kathleen! ;)

Kathleen wrote: "Marc, I love your take on the opening!

About the bathroom, we're told early-on, in the letter from Gen to Anna, "I am only relieved the bedroom is ensuite." (Using relieved there struck my funny b..."

"I am only relieved the bedroom is ensuite." (Using relieved there struck my funny bone.)
Yes, yes and YES! Hilarious! I caught this, only realizing a couple lines later what I had just read, going back to it, rereading and the light bulb going off. Smh!

"Kathy's Song"
What a great association, Kathleen. Smith has so far shed light on her prowess for the arts and music, references made to both left and right. The S/G song only further enhances the impact of the title, overshadowing its fragmented delivery in this one particular instance. What made me think of the quote, honestly, was me reminding myself not to immediately judge Miles on taking up residence in Genevieve's home.

So far I find Anna intriguing and Miles endearing. I love the way Smith writes Genevieve's dialog.
I think of Genevieve and I start laughing, she's my idea of a sympathetic/unsympathetic character, and a terrible host! Orchestrating these types of dinners, year after year, thinking them to be an enriching experience for all involved when they only lead to animosity and further discord-she's oblivious, but I do love her. :P

Miles endearing
He is, what do you make of the tea mopping with his socked foot...why go to such great lengths? I would say he was selfless, but is he really? I mean, he invited himself to live in the ensuite bedroom of a home belonging to someone who was otherwise a stranger to him. He wasn't thinking about the imposition on the Lee family, was he?

I also thought about Miles in terms of do gooders and a genuinely kind person; coming to the conclusion he was more the latter and taking it a step further, reminded of that quote, the kindest hearts have felt the most pain... what do you think?

the way Gen and Anna alternately look at the couch where Miles' jacket was left,
Their eye contact passing from the chair to one another said more than Genevieve's loaded commentary. Having Brooke in the room was an added benefit, considering she had slipped right in without being seen or having a concern for, much like Miles on the night of the dinner...slipping right up to the room without being noticed. Genevieve just wants everything to be the problem of anybody other than herself. This woman's conflict resolution skills need a major upheaval. LOL!

Ginny wrote: ...."
https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/comp...

Fabulous find, Ginny!

Mark wrote: "Ami,

Now now, per your first post on this thread, we've got an author who is VERY deliberate in her orthological transgressions. Her title for the book is There but for the., not There But For The..."

Now now, per your first post on this thread, we've got an author who is VERY deliberate in her orthological transgressions. Her title for the book is There but for the., not There But For The.
Ah, I was trying to be consistent with the folder without paying any mind to what the author intended. Observation noted and changes made where possible. Thank you!

That opening chaper (xi - xiii) is still confounding for me. Any ideas? Likewise the concluding chapter of the "There" section; is this the composition the teenaged Anna wrote?
I'm not 100%, still struggling between ambiguous and specific. See m19.

Jen's use of "ensuite", which to me sounds like a real estate agent's speech, encapsulates her view of the world as something to be valued by its monetary worth. Ditto the wonderful beam in the dining room. Or her pitiful attempt on P12 to ask Brooke to leave without saying the nasty words needed.
Well, she's the antithesis to the disruptive qualities of the novel; from the title to concepts used in the narrative; Genevieve Lee is the epitome of composure at all costs, the appearance of the bourgeoisie at the cost of complacent middle class conceit.

Ginny wrote: "Ami wrote: "In what appears to be a teasing bite, pages xi-xiii , they do not disappoint. Like that single bite, using only one word, what were your thoughts while reading these particular pages? ...."

Or an image, sure, that works too! How does this image apply to your understanding of these preliminary pages...do tell, please! :)

I look forward to your response!

Cheers!

Robert wrote: "I’m rereading the book. I just love the generic pun Gen + Eric). The first part is about the role of language in society and I think Smith pulls this off well."

Brilliant! Another great catch, thank you for sharing! Again, the irony of alluding to a generic couple who try as they might to being anything but.

Love it.

Marc wrote: "Even before we get to the Gen-Eric pun, the first letter is signed Gen Lee, which made me think: generally, General Lee, etc. And Anna Hardie last name almost sounds like hardly. Puns and wordplay ..."

this should be a fun discussion with a Marcus, a Mark, and a Marc as members and a character named Mark, too!).
Seriously, I was thinking the same thing. It's really like a dinner party, keeping everybody entertained and names straight. LOL!

Did others expect him to be unlikeable or find their initial thoughts reversed?
I expected him to be unlikeable because on some level he clearly is...are we forgetting he's moved into the spare bedroom of a complete stranger, for whatever reason; the imposition of it on the family, who does that? Mental illness, sadness and pain aside, whatever it may be, if any of the above; we're going on three weeks here, if I recall correctly, of him essentially taking a room in a home not belonging to him, hostage.

It's pleasantly surprising to read about him being a kind and conscientious man who works in an industry that requires him to be ethically sound. His being a genial person creates an obscurity, I think. What about moving into somebody's home without any prior discussion with them rings true of being ethical ... is he trying to prove a point, is he genuinely troubled? We just don't know at this point from the details given. Even if he is proving a point, that begs another major question as well; however, I don't want to get ahead of my skis. I'll read some more and then come back to it, if that is the case. I feel as if my own confused thoughts about Miles are the product of both Genevieve’s and Anna’s PsOV, mostly through what is not being said about him in their differing tones and also including Miles� own fair and balanced thoughts, as brief as he is.

Does anybody know of the British laws regarding squatting in an already occupied home...is it even considered squatting at this point? I just looked it up, it's not considered squatting; Miles would be considered an unauthorized occupant in an established residence (owners present) I think?

Although, squatting/unauthorized occupancy can be considered influenced by an anarchist movement, I can understand how Miles too would have the ability to drastically alter the status quo as it pertains to this novel, so far. Smith conveys this story in a broken style (anarchic), the Lees representing a conceited middle class (status quo) family, Miles the disrupting force about to shake things up for the Lees in what they know to be their comfortable home.

Robert wrote: (view spoiler)[Ah but. First the butt pun, then miles says it’s a diversion then we find out it unites. Thus the title is therefor the?? Coupled with the explanation of therefore in the linguistic heavy first hal..." (hide spoiler)]

Where does this pun take place in There, I recall it from reading (view spoiler)[but, during their conversation at the bar after the show? (hide spoiler)]

Exactly after the show mark talks about butt and miles says the one with the extra ‘t� btw I finished the book this afternoon - the paper/bicycle prologue will make complete sense

Robert wrote: (view spoiler)["Exactly after the show mark talks about butt and miles says the one with the extra ‘t� btw I finished the book this afternoon - the paper/bicycle prologue will make complete sense" (hide spoiler)]

Ah. Let’s move that comment into the next course where the but chapter is being discussed and we can expand upon it as I was curious about the comment. Thanks for bringing it up!

You all are catching so much more than I did! Loving reading the discussion!

Ami wrote: "Hugh, what I wanted to ask you earlier about your post is if you thought Ali Smith was using the addition of precocious children as a vehicle to drive her own voice? Some of what you expect in her novels, at least from what I’ve read in “TBFT,� is the embodiment of our young Brooke...yes, no, meh?"
My comment was more of an observation (based on having read a number of her novels) than any attempt to understand why she finds children's minds so interesting. Brooke is one example, but there are plenty more - one in her first novel Like, and more than one in the seasonal quartet.

Bretnie wrote: "You all are catching so much more than I did! Loving reading the discussion!"

I am happy to read you're getting so much out of these discussion courses. This novel has genuinely been a delight to read.

Hugh wrote: "Ami wrote: "Hugh, what I wanted to ask you earlier about your post is if you thought Ali Smith was using the addition of precocious children as a vehicle to drive her own voice? Some of what you ex..."

And my question was based solely on asking your opinion about the potentiality of an Ali Smith/precocious child connection... having read so many of her novels.

I've finished the novel now and have come to the conclusion that if there were a connection to her personal voice and any one character from "tbft," it would probably have been with Anna...the "fight the power" angst runs deep with those two.

thanks, hugh!

Ami wrote: ".Or an image, sure, that works too! How does this image apply to your understanding of these preliminary pages...do tell, please! :).."

You asked for one word, and I hadn't had a chance to even begin reading the book, but I wanted to check in on the discussion and the quote "Ow, the man says. Doing my best, the boy says. He is about ten years old. His fringe is long, he is quite long-haired. He is wearing flared jeans embroidered in yellow and purple at the waistband and a blue and red T-shirt with a Snoopy on the front." jumped out at me. The T-shirt is the first thing the man on the exercise bike sees (spare room, exercise bike; of course it's Miles) is the T-shirt. Snoopy is wearing a "Hero" badge. The boy is Miles the child. Hero of his own life. Does anyone else feel a very strong Dickensian influence in this novel?

Time and Place: On my first read of this section, I got the impression it was London in the future, with all the landmarks unfamiliar somehow. Now I see that it is set explicitly in Greenwich in 2009. The landscape is very specific. Anna waits for Brooke at the intersection of Crooms Hill and Burney Street. If they had walked to the tunnel (which is thought to be haunted), this is the route they would have taken.



What is it that gives it the futuristic, fantasy feel?

Mark wrote: "Likewise the concluding chapter of the "There" section; is this the composition the teenaged Anna wrote? ..."

I think it is Miles' prize winning composition. All about communicating with the dead. Which transitions almost too obviously to (view spoiler)[ Mark's conversation with his mother. (hide spoiler)]

When I read about the jobs the characters do, I was vividly reminded of Dickens' "Circumlocution Office", in Little Dorrit. "Centre for Temporary Permanence (or, interchangeably, the Centre for Permanent Temporariness)." "Genevieve Lee was currently a freelance Personnel Welfare Coordinator for people who worked in Canary Wharf." "She told Anna that Eric worked at the Institute for Measurement and Control and that he’d be back at three."

Ginny wrote: "Time and Place: On my first read of this section, I got the impression it was London in the future, with all the landmarks unfamiliar somehow. Now I see that it is set explicitly in Greenwich in 20..."

thank you for the map. I believe in there and those initial pages, we're a little out of our element (at least I was). The idea of censor bars covering the mouth of a man sitting on an excercise bike and his most curious story, The flashback to the 80's maybe even the 90's and coming back to the present, it's all a bit disorienting and did give the impression we were in a time period at some point in the future. However, I believe, it is revealed in there, in that Smith round about way, what year we were in.

Ginny wrote: "When I read about the jobs the characters do, I was vividly reminded of Dickens' "Circumlocution Office", in Little Dorrit. "Centre for Temporary Permanence (or, interchangeably, the Centre for Per..."

I love Dickens. Have not read this one, but it's coming up on my list. Will definitely remember this association to it. I can't wait.

Ginny wrote: "Ami wrote: ".Or an image, sure, that works too! How does this image apply to your understanding of these preliminary pages...do tell, please! :).."

You asked for one word, and I hadn't had a chanc..."

I clearly missed this detail, Ginny. Oof! Your original post is even more exciting for me. I love it! Ha!

I wasn’t completely sure the boy was Miles at the time of reading this section, I hardly knew anything about him. Maybe, faintly?

Yeah, the initial pages... a little bildungsromanish, that preliminary bit of background where we don’t know how it applies to the rest of the story. there, not so much.

How was it Dickensian in feel for you?

Ginny wrote: "Ami wrote: ".Or an image, sure, that works too! How does this image apply to your understanding of these preliminary pages...do tell, please! :).."

You asked for one word, and I hadn't had a chanc..."

I remembered the timeframe of that t-shirt, but was thinking the scene was in the past, as you also said, and didn't put it together that the timing (with the t-shirt, the fringe and the bell-bottoms) could have been Miles childhood. I'm so glad you spelled this out!

Ami wrote: "How was it Dickensian in feel for you?.."

The importance of the children is a big factor. The boy with the Snoopy hero T-shirt immediately made me think of David Copperfield. The Hero in is own life. Another similarity is the satire. And the allusions to so many things. That we (I at least) must keep looking up. The names for people and bureaucratic institutions. In an interview with the Paris Review, which has a pay wall, Ali Smith says about Autumn: "What’s the point of art, of any art, if it doesn’t let us see with a little bit of objectivity where we are? All the way through this book I’ve used the step-back motion, which I’ve borrowed from Dickens—the way that famous first paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities creates space by being its own opposite—to allow readers the space we need to see what space we’re in."

Ginny wrote: "Ami wrote: "How was it Dickensian in feel for you?.."

The importance of the children is a big factor. The boy with the Snoopy hero T-shirt immediately made me think of David Copperfield. The Hero ..."

The importance of the children is a big factor.
I agree, so much more prevalent than my loose association to the bildungsroman aspect. I was thinking the latter, a grown Miles looking back on himself as a child...one of those opportunities we would give ourselves were we able to receive guidance from our younger selves?

The boy with the Snoopy hero T-shirt immediately made me think of David Copperfield.
I enjoyed DC! The association of it to the t-shirt is creative, it tickles me. :P

Ali Smith in Paris Review
Smith weaving the concept of art culture (music, drama, instillations, etc.) into the narrative as she does, I had also read is prevalent here. It quite literally shaped the way I read and discussed/will discuss in Sweets and Nightcap...the integration and importance of both art and culture in our social fabric. I do recall reading, this particular article in the Paris Review. I totally forgot about the Dickens reference from ATOTC, clearly it's there. I do wonder how much more enriching it must have been for you keeping in mind this Dickens connection? As I sit here and write this, the narrative running through my mind...Dickens, DC, I feel even more connected to aspects I originally found rather hyperkinetic because of Dickens alone.

Keep it coming, Ginny! I appreciate it more than you know!

I have just read this section and enjoyed all the comments above. It's fascinating to see what everyone has picked up on so far.

While this is quite a fun read (Gen certainly made me laugh), I'm finding the wordplay here rather relentless, and often quite childish - the Anna K/Anna Key being one example.

I was gettting a bit worn out with it, and then I read the section about the immigrants in the lorry of light bulbs and that really gave pause for thought. The sudden switch from frivolous to serious was skilfully done.

I also enjoyed the section of Miles's story - the plane imagery coming in again as his grandfather is in the plane, and the looking into people's eyes.

I don't have much to add to these wonderful comments. Regarding ABBA, I'd like to mention the way Smith managed to twist the lyric into "I believe in Engels," definitely bringing out the social critique of the bourgeoisie. I also like the idea of stepping back and looking at scenes from our lives more objectively. A lot of the material Smith draws on is really quite mundane, only she manages to bring it to life from an entirely new angle. Good idea, Ginny, to refer to the interview in The Paris Review.

The premise of the book, a dinner guest locking himself in a room for weeks, months even, is just so outrageous, but Smith manages to pull it off brilliantly and make it quite believable. Although I have read a number of Smiths novels, initially I wasn't taken in by this one, but it is proving to be one of her best, I think. Very powerful indeed.

Pamela wrote: "I have just read this section and enjoyed all the comments above. It's fascinating to see what everyone has picked up on so far.

While this is quite a fun read (Gen certainly made me laugh), I'm f..."

the Anna K/Anna Key being one example.
Anna K...Anna Key...ANARCHY! I didn't even get this originally. I was reading and discussing but in the next course, and something there enabled me to recall, Anna Key in the UK. It is a play on,

Click on Me.

I was gettting a bit worn out with it, and then I read the section about the immigrants in the lorry of light bulbs and that really gave pause for thought. The sudden switch from frivolous to serious was skilfully done.
It's jarring, isn't it? All hunky dory (sp?), and then all of sudden, boom...reality! Keep this with you as you progress in your reading, Smith peppering her narrative with these injections of serious realities affecting society. I thought the immigration/refugee discussion at the dinner table was rather striking and maybe even a parallel to Miles' own situation in the Lee home...a stranger seeking refuge in their home?

wearing...
It takes a bit getting used to it, I agree; however, once you hit that groove and start working out the details, everything becomes better illuminated. Sometimes even reading ahead will trigger these minuscule details we don't even realize we have retained.

Elaine wrote: "I don't have much to add to these wonderful comments. Regarding ABBA, I'd like to mention the way Smith managed to twist the lyric into "I believe in Engels," definitely bringing out the social cri..."

A lot of the material Smith draws on is really quite mundane, only she manages to bring it to life from an entirely new angle.
I am under the impression she does this solely to shed light on a burgeoning apathetic society, and how people either choose to continue living life with blinders on, or vice versa. Anna being the representation of the latter, and Genevieve the former, as it pertains to there. I'm awe of her ability to breathe life into these humdrum subject matters.

Anna recalls a memory of Miles and their trip to Europe; while it read to be a more innocent and idyllic time for her, the trip was a lot more revealing as to her being self-aware, her presence at the trip; meaning, she wasn't really present, she didn't feel present, or there for the trip until Miles returned her passport to her. He hands it to her while saying, there you are. She felt there because she had her passport, giving her the freedom to move about as she pleased (48).

Smith used the words absent presence to describe Anna's writing where she wrote about serious real life experiences (rape and torture), in as shorthand form as possible...her job being, to not make people matter as much (54-60). Being present, how we have to be reminded of it at different moments in our lives works into Smith's apathy theme.

It's not so much that we have to be reminded, than we are reminded of what makes us feel alive and present to the life going on around us.