Day 2, up to chapter 10 in 'The Elected Member'.
So, in that wonderful way that books have of answering their own questions, all my curiosity from last night has been sated. Phew! I now know the identity of the mysterious white pills (ok, so maybe I am just a little sheltered and some one else would have gotten it without the Minister spelling it out for them!), it is Yiddish, the socks are a symbol of artificially extended childhood, and I was even right about the incest. Ew.
The story is developing quite intriguingly, expanding on the other family members and the family history in what appears to be an attempt to rationalize, or maybe even excuse, Norman's drug use and 'madness'. It's a twisted little journey, and I find myself wishing it were a larger book, told more in the present tense rather than the frequent flashbacks Ms Rubens employs. I realize this was an artistic choice, not an accident ("I tripped, fell on my typewriter, and now there's another flashback! Whoops!") but I feel it's a device that should be used sparingly, rather than having almost every chapter be an extended flashback. Having everyone wandering around remembering 'when' doesn't really advance the plot, it just explains how we got 'here'. I suppose that's the entire point of the story - how does a bright young prodigy become a sad, defeated drug-addict? A bit depressing, as subject matter goes.
The characters are all very human, fallible, and I find that makes them all likable. I am, however, finding the attitude toward addiction/mental illness - that desperate denial, the unwillingness to discuss it - heartbreaking. I want to dismiss it as an archaic attitude from a different era, but I have to admit it lives today. The only real giveaways that this story is from another era are Bella's sock issue, and Norman being sent to a hospital/asylum rather than rehab.
For tomorrow, I am looking forward to Norman's reaction to how Bella chose to fulfill his request, and whether she responds at all to Esther's request. Should be some high drama!
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