Hong-Anh’s Comments (group member since Nov 21, 2018)

Hong-Anh’s comments from the Bertie's Book Group group.

Hi all!

We hope that you enjoyed this month's read, 'Regeneration' by Pat Barker. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the book in general but if you'd like to join our Twitter chat on Thursday 23rd April (#kfreads) then we'll be asking the questions below:

1. We always start our book group with an icebreaker and this month we’d love to know what you’re reading at the moment!
2. How do you think the title of the book relates to the different themes of the novel?
3. Which character stuck out for you?
4. How did you find the blend of real life historical figures in a fiction novel?
5. There are several different examples of care in different settings in the book – how do these depictions compare?
6. What do you think of the different approaches adopted by Yelland and Rivers?

Hi Cath! Nice to hear from you and hope that you're well! :)

I really like your interpretation of Ally's new 'family' of patients as her 'lost children', I hadn't thought of it that way and I think it's really fitting! There's definitely a sense that Ally finds a sense of belonging and acceptance amongst her patients and it is contrasted against her experience of working as a doctor back in Manchester.

Definitely agree with you that Tom gets off lightly as far as the narrative is concerned! I didn't feel so sold on the necessity of his extramarital affair and in terms of balance between the two journeys, it feels like at the end of the book he feels more lost than found which is the opposite to Ally's journey.

However, I really loved the evocation of Japan during that era - a lot of the imagery and lines in the sections about Japan are so atmospheric. Loved the description of the gardens, landscape and the quote you've pulled out captures the beauty of her writing on Japan!

Along the same lines as yours, mine would be another childhood classic, Anne of Green Gables! Or The Secret History by Donna Tartt (mainly because I've read it so often that it feels comforting?)

This month we will be discussing Signs for Lost Children by Sarah Moss, which is the follow-up to her earlier novel, Bodies of Light. The novel follows the newly qualified, and newly married, Dr Ally Moberley-Cavendish who embarks on her first post at Truro Asylum. While she acclimatises to working in the asylum, her new husband Tom Cavendish, a lighthouse engineer, travels to Japan for work. The novel is a fascinating exploration of gender, recovery from trauma, mental health and the politics of empire.

We have five questions to get us started on our discussion that touch on key themes of the novel but we'd also love to hear what you thought generally!

1. We usually start off our discussions with an icebreaker question. Given that these are unusual and uncertain times, we'd love to hear your recommendations on your favourite comforting book.

2. Why do you think Sarah Moss chose the phrase 'signs for lost children' as the title of the novel, and what does it evoke for you?

3. Sarah Moss chooses to focus on women and mental health in this novel. What connections and contrasts do you think she is exploring by entwining these two themes?

4. A recurring theme of this novel centres on social mores, etiquette and societal expectations. How do you think this theme was most effectively explored?

5. Ally and Tom both embark on journeys, literally and figuratively, in this novel. How do these two strands of the narrative compare and how does it impact on the effect of the ending of the story?

Please don't feel you have to use these questions, we'd love to hear what you thought in general! Looking forward to hearing what all our readers thought of the book!

Nice to hear from you Cath and interesting to hear what you thought of the book!

As Lynsey says, I think lots of other people had the same issue with the chronology of the book! I really enjoyed reading it but in hindsight, I think perhaps I agree that the reverse timeline, whilst really effective as a literary device, can also feel slightly gimmicky once you get to the end as it does feel like a bit of a letdown!

I do think there's something quite bittersweet about seeing the optimism of the start of Kay and Helen's relationship and knowing how their relationship ends.

Unfortunately as we won't be holding book group for the foreseeable future now, we'll look forward to hearing your views on Signs For Lost Children!

Due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, we have decided to suspend Bertie's Book Group until further notice.

In the meantime, we will be hosting the discussions for the book online, so if you would like to continue participating and connecting with other attendees, you can do so here on Goodreads. Each month, we will continue to host a virtual discussion on here and we'd love to hear your thoughts on all the books we'll be reading!

If you're not already on the Bertie's Book Group monthly mailing list, please do subscribe for updates from us.

We look forward to seeing you all once Bertie's Book Group gets up and running again!

Jennifer wrote: "We read this book last year at our F2 book club and perhaps similar to yourselves, we saw a new side to Adam, from comedian to the more relatable, empathetic and at times, vulnerable junior doctor...."

Thanks for posting your reflections on the book, it's interesting to hear that you read this book in your F2 book group! Your review definitely echoes that sense of resonance that people working in the NHS have gotten from reading the book. I like your observation about how under pressure, it can be easy to overlook the importance of cameraderie and team-spirit as a valuable source of support for staff.

Thanks to all who came along to our discussion about The Dark Circle this week! We had a really interesting and wide-ranging discussion which touched on the contrast between health care and the medical profession around the birth of the NHS and now; changing social attitudes; and the rather confusing part of the book that was set in Franco's Spain!

If you weren't able to make it to the discussion in person, we'd love to hear what you thought!