Thanks everyone for coming last night. It was fun, though we missed
Reid, Jayne, Amanda, and Elizabeth, and I now have leftover
sachertorte.
I think we all agreed with Elizabeth's remark that Those Who Save Us
was somewhat predictable. To me, I felt that the author took a good
story line and then decided to add what was needed to give it movie
potential. Somehow, inconsistencies, lack of plot development, and
preposterous but happy coincidences are more acceptable in a movie
format. However, despite the inconsistencies, and the lengthy and
overdone sex scenes, it was a good read.
Some of us felt confused that Anna could be so cold to her adult
daughter after having sacrificed everything for her when she was a
child, and showing so much love for her early on. Perhaps this was
understandable since she had to block out her past as a survival
technique, and did not want to dwell on actions that were done in
desperation. In part, this is a theme of the entire book -- trying to
understand how such horrible events could have occurred, how people
felt about being a part of those events -- even condoning the events
-- and how survivors dealt with their past.
Frances posed the interesting possibility that Trudy's German-Jewish
survivor boyfriend Reiner was in fact a Nazi who has been in hiding as
a Jew in Minnesota all these years and that is the reason that he
suddenly must leave for Florida. Hadn't thought of that, but it's a
good possibility.
When I was in Chile, I chatted in Spanish with a blue-eyed elderly man
in the supermarket who had a strong German accent. I later thought --
this man might have been a Nazi!! He seemed so friendly and harmless
and I would have liked to have asked how it was that he had come to
Chile. Many Nazis as well as Jews escaped to South America after the
war, though he might have come for business or family. Anyway, it is
interesting to ponder the question of the "banality of evil" and
wonder what you would have done as a German or a Jew in Nazi Germany.
Pam suggested reading "The Quality of Life Report" by Meghan Daum for
the December meeting -- something light and not war related.
November meeting will be at Reid's.
