OBOC - Canada

Maragaret Atwood has long been on my reading list but until now I had postponed reading her. She was the obvious choice for me for Canada and I had a difficult time deciding which of her books to read. I decided on "The Blind Assassin" not because of the Booker Prize, but because descriptions of the novel convinced me that I would also get a good picture of Canada, which after all is one of the main objectives of OBOC.

I heard you either love or hate her writings. I am now certainly in the former camp. I loved the book, for the plot, for the style (she pulled off 4 stories in one novel all intertwined with each other), the lyrical prose, the characters and for the historic setting which painted a picture of Canada through the war years.

If you want the plot -Iris Chase the protagonist is now an old woman in her eighties reliving the events of her childhood, her unhappy marriage to Richard Griffien, the death of her sister Laura following the Second World War and how her life takes shape after these tragic events. Iris is recounting these incidents in the hope that her estranged granddaughter Sabrina would just listen to her story(not seeking her forgiveness or love - we are told). The story is as much Laura's as it is Iris' as their lives are intertwined. 'The Blind Assassin" is recognized as Laura's posthumous work and this novel contains another novel in which the lead character (a hunted communist - assumed to be Alex Thomas a childhood friend of both the sisters) is narrating a science fiction story to his lover (assumed to be Laura) during their clandestine meetings.

The main story is a revelation and as it progresses all our questions are answered - what caused Laura's death? what did Alex Thomas mean to the two sisters? why did Richard kill himself? who actually wrote the novel - The Blind Assassin? - some are more obvious than the others, still the process of unraveling kept me very engrossed. Now if all this seems too complicated, trust me we are in good hands. Atwood's skill in weaving all these stories and tying them all up is similar to that of a brilliant musician or a visual artist who brings it together!

Interwoven into all these stories, is also the story of Canada during the Depression and the Second World War.  Losing the button factory during the Depression led to Iris' marriage to Richard and her dad drinking himself to death; the sisters' relationship with Alex Thomas was always in the hiding because he was a hunted Communist;  Richard's stance over the years wavers from admiration for the Nazis to supporting the Communists under "Uncle Joe" (Stalin) - through these episodes in Iris' and Laura's lives we get a vivid picture of Canada during the '30s and '40s. Also not lost on me were the descriptions of the women and their lives as they lived through the war outside their homes and the violence within the confines of their own home.

The other interesting aspect of the novel was how the wild fantasy ride of the science fiction novel within the novel was a clever allegory for the events of the Second World War. Residents of Sakiel Norn joining with the Barbarians to fight the Lizard Men, is a possible allegory for Allied forces joining with the much hated Communists to take on the Nazis. The plight of the mute maiden and her noble rescuer the Blind Assassin - parallels Iris' & Laura's state and Alex's fate at the end of the war. Now is that intentional or am I reading too much between the lines? I don't know, but it was interesting alright!


Iris Chase will remain one of the most memorable characters in fiction for me. She is in no way perfect. I expected a lot more out of her and blamed her indirectly for Laura's death. There were many things she could've done and should've done, but i also forgave her as she was certainly a victim of circumstances too.

Overall, great plot - check; great characters - check; great technique - check; great storytelling - check. The only negative,  I now don't have Chile or China with me as I thought this one would take much longer to finish. I didn't expect to be sleep deprived because of this book, but I am!

OBOC - Central African Republic

It is quite a shame that before I read "My Country, Africa" I neither knew where Central African Republic was (despite its name!) nor did I know who Andree Blouin was. This story is not only her autobiography, but is also a great introduction to the history, culture and politics of many African countries - the DRC, Republic of Congo, and Guinea and the characters in this book are some of the movers and shakers of the anti-colonial struggle in Africa in the early '60s.

I read this book in about 12 hours not because it was an easy read, but because it was so hard to put down. I doubt if Forsyth or Le Carre could've written such a story with so much political intrigue. In addition as someone who reads feminist literature, the story of Africa's "black pasionaria" had so many insights into the gender issues of Africa that it became irresistible.

Let me start from the beginning. Born to a Frenchman (Pierre Gerbillat) and his child-bride Josephine of the Banziri people, Andree's fate was destined to be that of all metisee of that generation. Thrown into a catholic orphanage by her father (her mother had no right or say in her fate), she shows early signs of rebellion, but torture, guilt and irrational fear of God all in the form of the nuns has the better of her. Despite the torments suffered by her soul and spirit, she escapes from being coerced into a marriage and sets off to become independent. Her complicated relationship with both her parents also lays the ground for some of the most beautiful and poignant descriptions of African culture.

But as fate had it, despite her resoluteness to not become a concubine, she becomes exactly that - a mistress to a Belgian, Roger Serruys whom she meets on a boat on the Congo. Her first love, and her heart triumps over her mind and she settles down with him into an existence where she had his love, but not the respect or recognition of society. Their inherent difference in attitudes towards the child laborers and prisoners of Belgian Congo drives a chasm between the two. She then moves on to her next relationship with Charles Greutz a die-hard racist but his saving grace was that he cared for her and for her child Rita (Roger's). Needing the stability, she gets into the relationship and is a silent witness to the racist treatment Charles metes out even to her mom.

When Rene, her son through Charles is denied quinine for his malaria, Andree comes face to face with the absolute cruelty of the colonial regime. Her son was 3/4th white, but that was not enough to get him a Quinine card and he succumbs to malaria. This tragedy showed her how far the colonial scorn could possibly go.  Deciding that Africa was no longer safe for Rita, she accepts Charles' proposal of marriage and the ticket to Europe where she would meet her future husband Andre - her first, real, relationship not hampered by the colonial legacy.

With her personal life in order, her travel to Siguri in Guinea and contact with the RDA and their charismatic leader Sekou Toure put her on the political path. She had two clear focus areas 1) African unity 2) improving the plight of African women and bringing them into the political fold. With these as her mantra she played a pivotal role in the birth of the DRC, and the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. This also led to close political involvement and friendships with leaders like Lumumba, Gizenga, and Boganda. Her campaign to bring the Congolese women into the political arena and the crucial role she played in carrying the protocol (hidden in her chignon!) that would procliam Lumumba as the President of the Congo despite the Belgian authorities' schemes were nothing short of absolute courage and political astuteness. She also had the uncanny ability to reach out to people who didn't necessarily share her vision, all for the sake of African Unity. Unfortunately Lumumba was betrayed and the birthing pains of the Congo due to the unpreparedness to take over from the Colonial regime and ethnic differences are still plaguing the region.

Anyone who has any idea about Africa understands the huge injustice done to that Continent as a result of brutal colonialism. Now on top of that imagine being a woman under Colonization- that's a double whammy. If being a colored woman is complicated enough add to that the disadvantage of being a child of interracial "marriage" with a father who fails to recognize you - that is where Andree began, at the very bottom of the social pecking order. Finding dignity in her life and her situation, and struggling for her family led her to finding dignity for Africa and joining her countrymen in their struggles. Truly a great life of an extraordinary woman. In her own words "I carry my Africa within me, wherever I go. In my home, Africa finds her own"... and through her words, I got a glimpse of Africa as I never had before!