Today is the discussion day for our Read With Us Spring selection, Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. Kym, Carole, and I are each posting discussion questions on our blogs today, and you are welcome to respond in the comments. I would also encourage you to reply to others' comments if you choose. This is a book discussion, after all, so there are no correct answers or right opinions. I've been looking forward to discussing this book ever since I finished it, and I don't know of a better bunch of people for a book discussion than all of you.
I was especially intrigued by the UK cover, just as I was interested in how Kennedy chose to bookend the beginning and end of the story with the art installation in 2015.
This is a bronze sculpture by F.E. McWilliams entitled Woman in a Bomb Blast. I can imagine the sculpture that Kennedy describes as similar but the sculpture in the book is made of "resin, fabric, glass fiber. A white figure on a plinth, chalky, sarcophagal, a shrouded look about the face, features indistinct. The body is oddly sexless, though it is a male; there is breadth in the torso, bulk at the chest. From the waist up he looks peaceful, sleeping head near the bend of an arm. There is something not right about the pose, though; his limbs are splayed awkwardly, have not been arranged. ... the disordered configuration is shocking, hinting at the violence of the moment of the subject's murder and the chaos of the hours that followed."
So the questions I'd like to pose are these: In its final section, the book continues with the year 2015 when Cushla and Davy encounter each other again. What has changed for them, and about them? How does Cushla seem to look back at the events of their shared past? What does the ending leave indefinite?
What do you think? I can't wait to hear your thoughts!
And don't forget we will have an in-person Zoom discussion at 7:00 pm Eastern this evening. You can send me an email (the email address is in the upper right) to RSVP and I will make sure you get an invitation with the Zoom link if you haven't already. I hope to see you there!
I think the ending shows life goes on.
ReplyDeleteIt does, even if we may not be ready to go on with it.
DeleteI really liked this book. I will confess though to completely forgetting about the art at the beginning and end (until you posted the other week about it). I also hadn't realized that so much time had elapased between the bulk of the book and the ending. (Now I need to ask, was I really paying attention when I read this book??) I wanted more of the bulk of the book - when I read it, the ending to me seemed disjointed or out of place. There are many unanswered questions: what about Davy's family? His mother? His father? His brother? Where did they all end up? What of Cushla's Mother and her brother? And what about that awful priest? (I can't remember his name). Maybe I should have read this closer to our discussion!
ReplyDeleteThere were definitely lots of unanswered questions at the end, many of which you posed. Sometimes I like endings like that because they allow the reader to wonder about many possibilities and answer for themselves. It doesn't tie things up neatly, but neither does life!
DeleteExactly! but, I would rather have had a little more of the main story. The ending just didn't really seem to fit for me
DeleteI found the ending to be hopeful -- after all they suffered, Cushla and Davy survived. And I think the convergence of the two of them and the sculpture that memorialized Michael gave a sense that maybe it was all worth it or at least that that particular period of her life was not a waste. Being involved with Michael and doing what she did for Davy and his family were both big risks for her to take at the time. In the case of the latter, it seems that she made a real difference.
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting point, Sarah, and one that I'm glad to think about. I hadn't considered the book to be especially hopeful and questioned Cushla becoming so involved with Davy's family, but it seems that so many interactions and life, in general, could be fraught during The Troubles so you might as well do whatever good you can, and seize any happiness possible. Cushla did make a difference in Davy's life and Michael made a difference in hers.
DeleteI think the sculpture is something that tells you about the people of Northern Ireland... they are a people who have physical and emotional scars that still exist today....ones they want to immortalize.
ReplyDeleteI liked the ending... I like "indefinite" endings because then I can spend more time thinking about where this story might go.
That's an interesting take on the sculpture, Kat! I hadn't thought about it that way. I also like indefinite endings as they let the reader imagine all the possibilities. I'm especially interested in hearing why you didn't like the book tonight (really). That's what makes for a good book discussion!
DeleteI agree with Sarah, I found the ending hopeful and their meeting at the memorial gave a sense that all they experienced was not in vain.
ReplyDeleteI like to imagine many things in a hopeful, yet realistic way and both Cushla and Davy did leave me with a sense of hope that they had lived through things. They may have been terrible things but hopefully, they were not in vain.
DeleteI will admit that I had to really pay attention when the time period changed as I would be reading and not noticing that. I did think it was good that they met up again and both ended up living their lives. It would have been nice to have a wrap up of the rest of their families but I thought it was fine.
ReplyDeleteI liked the fact that Louise Kennedy bookended the beginning and end with the art exhibit in 2015. The beginning was a bit of foreshadowing to let you know that someone was going to die and the end let you know that life had gone on for Cushla and Davy despite the terrible things that happened. Without any specifics, we readers are free to imagine all kinds of details about what could have happened with the rest of their families.
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