I hadn't heard of this book before, so I'm coming to it completely blank, which I love! Looking at it on my booklist I speculated that it was perhaps a political drama of sorts, the story of some newly elected official battling bureaucracy. Ya, not even close! Turns out it is a family drama of mental illness and drug addiction. Probably more interesting than my idea!
I've read three chapters so far today. It is intriguing, although I find myself more captivated by the mysteries of the backstory than the present dramatic situation. I find I'm curious about exactly what kind of pills Norman is taking, and I wonder whether the anonymous nature of the drug is intended as a generic 'drugs are evil' sentiment. Perhaps it was a decision made to prevent any sort of advertisement for the drug in question. Or, perhaps the identity of the mystery pills will come out later. Then again, maybe it's completely incidental to the actual story. I'm still curious.
I'm also very curious about the relationship between Norman and his sister, Bella, and the significance of her white ankle-socks. I understand they are meant as a symbol of girlhood, as a woman should be wearing some sort of stocking, but what is the real meaning behind all the allusions? I get the feeling there was some level of incest, but I could be totally off-base. I find I'd really like a direct, explicit explanation regarding this, and the drug as well.
Mainly I'm hoping that my lack of understanding isn't a result of generational miscommunication. I admit, I had to google a couple or three words to make sure I was understanding them correctly. For instance, I was fairly certain Dettol was a cleaning agent but I've never actually encountered it, so I wasn't sure what it's "known associations" were. The frequent use of what I'm guessing is Yiddish (correct me if I'm wrong, please!) is also making it a more challenging read. Most of it I understand, but not all of it, and that is making it difficult for me to really immerse myself in the story.
Despite all that, I am enjoying the story so far. It kind of reminds me of a late-sixties version of 'Intervention'. I mean that in a good way!
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