Amnesty International BookClub discussion
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419
May & June 2017: 419 by Will Ferguson
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Not yet, I own it though!
Mod
No time like the present to jump in! Tell us what you think!
The centre arc of 419, left me wondering if I stepped into an entirely different novel.I It went on too long and I got the impression,the writer was struggling to find a means to connect it to the main storyline. "Happiness" and "Spanish Fly'',flowed smoother and he wasn't struggling as much with the plot. I can respect this novel , because the writer was trying to challenge himself. I just found it difficult to keep my plotlines straight.
Mod
Mod
I've read 419 three times. The first time when it came out and then re-read for a couple of book clubs over the years. I don't know if i'll read it a fourth time, but every time I am impressed with how much I enjoy it. I know it has some flaws, but I really care about all the main characters, and Laura's loneliness is somehow compelling. Also, as someone who helps seniors (and others) use computers in a public library the dad falling for a scam is not too far from the truth, even today.However, the part that sticks with the most is the scene of the young African woman walking through the markets. The first time I read it I had just come back from working in the same part of Africa she was wakling through, and his description is so vivid I could almost recall the smell. Just a short testament to the book.
Mod
Hello Elizabeth and everyone,
here is an example of some of the actions AI has done surrounding oil and accountability in the Niger Delta:
http://www.amnesty.ca/our-work/issues... (this site includes a 15 minute podcast on the subject.)
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/cam...
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/tags/niger...
Thanks for asking!
Mod
http://www.amnestybookclub.ca/wp-cont...
Amnesty International BookClub
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For those you who like discussion questions (which some of you do!) we are lucky to have some from guest reader, author Nino Ricci and additional questions.
So, enjoy! I look forward to hearing from you!
From author Nino Ricci:
1. How does your view of Laura’s quest for revenge change as the novel progresses?
2. Is Laura’s father truly a victim or does he simply get what he deserves? Do we see his plight differently when we place it in the context of the plights of some of the Nigerian characters?
3. How does knowledge of Nigeria’s history help inform your
understanding of events in the novel?
4. For all its political troubles, Nigeria has produced an impressive crop of talented writers since independence, from Chinua Achebe and Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka to Booker Prize winner Ben Okri and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. If you have read any of these writers, how does their view of Nigeria compare to the one in 419? If not, has 419 stimulated you to seek some of them out?
Also for stimulation:
1. Instead of a standard linear plot structure, 419 skips back and forth in time and location, and follows a diverse cast of characters from very different cultural backgrounds. How does this structure create dramatic tension and propel the story forward? And how does it relate to Laura’s work as a copy editor, which involves trying to impose a chronological timeline on overlapping events?
2. Many of the main characters in the novel willingly take part in some form of illegal activity and feel somewhat justified in doing so. Do you believe that any of he characters have good reasons for their actions? Did any characters cross a moral line that changed your sympathy for them? And while all the characters felt somewhat justified in their actions, do you feel, at the end of the novel, that any of them got what they deserved?
3. Laura edits other people’s lives. What is the significance of this, symbolically as well as practically, in the plot line?
4. We like to believe we inhabit a borderless, interconnected world. Laura lives online, works online, yet she is isolated and alone. Her experience of other cultures comes primarily in a food court. On balance, do you feel that technology brings people together or alienates them?
5. Which character’s storyline did you find most interesting? What are your thoughts about that character’s fate at the end of the book?
6. Nnamdi’s journey from the oil-soaked Delta is an incredible arc that dominates a considerable part of the novel. Why is his story so central to the book and to the lives of the other characters?
7. While Winston’s 419 scam sets the whole story into motion, the author stops short of making him the villain in the story. What were your initial feelings toward the character, and did you develop any sympathy for him when Ironsi-Egobia and Laura closed in on him? How does the scene where Laura visits Winston’s parents affect your sympathy for him?
8. What do you feel about Laura’s quest for revenge against Winston in the latter half of the book? Do you believe that she is justified in doing so? Is it morally acceptable for her to use lies and fraud because she feels she’s a victim? Do you think that she ultimately acquits herself by the way she helps Amina find a new life?
9. Discuss the ways in which the destructive nature of the oil industry and Western cultural influence in Africa affect the hearts and minds of characters such as Winston and Nnamdi. To what extent do you think Western culture should be blamed for certain tragic conditions in Africa?
10. The novel offers a look at three families in three very different parts of the world—the Curtis family in Calgary, Winston’s family in Lagos, and Nnamdi’s family in the Delta. In light of the widely distant locations, what traits do these disparate families have in common, and what makes them different?
I'll have an action here soon!