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"You know, we come to these countries for refuge and to find better lives, but it is these countries that made us leave our homes in the first place.... these countries we live in talk about democracy but they do not want democracy. They only want dictators. It is easier for them to deal with dictators than to have democracy in the countries we came from. I fought for democracy. I was tortured for democracy."
This passage stands out the most for me. This book is a powerful look into the life of a refugee in Canada. The cab driver who was tortured for fighting for democracy, the waitress who was brutally raped every day for years in jail, while her torturer now has diplomatic immunity in Canada, the bus boy with PTSD over the death of his sister. All of these people are displaced and trying to come to terms with living in a new country with a new language and unspoken codes of conduct.
I do wish that the author had spent more time development some of these characters but overall this book showed me a glimpse into the struggle of immigrants in Canada.
This passage stands out the most for me. This book is a powerful look into the life of a refugee in Canada. The cab driver who was tortured for fighting for democracy, the waitress who was brutally raped every day for years in jail, while her torturer now has diplomatic immunity in Canada, the bus boy with PTSD over the death of his sister. All of these people are displaced and trying to come to terms with living in a new country with a new language and unspoken codes of conduct.
I do wish that the author had spent more time development some of these characters but overall this book showed me a glimpse into the struggle of immigrants in Canada.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 for an ending that felt super rushed. Overall though I throughly enjoyed the prose and found it to be a really engaging writing style.
at first i really liked this book: an angry immigrant for once (after all the cheerful and perseverant immigrant tales) he's louse - a cockroach actually, but he seems to have a justified cynicism.
but then the symbolism became too heavy handed and i lost interest and/or concern for the guy.
but then the symbolism became too heavy handed and i lost interest and/or concern for the guy.
Nauseating and visceral tale of a disturbed immigrant struggles to survive inner demons and socioeconomic precarity, set against the background of a bleak winter Montreal. A cockroach analogy that presents the despair and nihilism that comes with extreme social isolation.
“I was stunned to realize how the change of scenery felt suddenly burdensome in the aftermath of my consumption of dead animals, alcohol, scratchy soggy lettuce, and tomatoes. And I was overwhelmed with the particular guilt of the impulsive poor who, in a moment of grandiose self-delusion, self-indulgence, and greed, want to have it all. The poor one is greedy. Greedy! Greed is the biggest stupidity. But I was filled with greed.”
“I was stunned to realize how the change of scenery felt suddenly burdensome in the aftermath of my consumption of dead animals, alcohol, scratchy soggy lettuce, and tomatoes. And I was overwhelmed with the particular guilt of the impulsive poor who, in a moment of grandiose self-delusion, self-indulgence, and greed, want to have it all. The poor one is greedy. Greedy! Greed is the biggest stupidity. But I was filled with greed.”
Brilliantly written, but pretty bleak. This will make your inner cynic spit with manic glee. The drudge of being human and the mundane of everyday life is masterfully described. Not too big in terms of plot, which I tend to struggle with in a book, but on the whole, definitely a worth while read.