Secret Guard

As I've already mentioned, at Hailsham (in Never Let Me Go, of course. You need to pay more attention!) guardians are basically teachers. You'll need to remember this for later on. Without further ado, in this section of flashbacks, Kathy talks about how her relationship with Ruth started. While they are in the same year, they'd never really crossed paths until one day in the sand pit, Ruth gets angry at two girls sitting behind Kathy. Kathy describes that all she wished for at that moment was for Ruth to see that Kathy was not with the other girls, that she was not part of Ruth's problem. So basically, she was a little intimidated/afraid of Ruth. The next incident mentioned is when Kathy's around seven or eight. Ruth asks her if she wants to ride any of her horses (imaginary horses). They ride around and bond over the different horses, but Ruth seems frustrated at the end when Kathy isn't "riding correctly" and makes her lead the horses back to their stables. Out of nowhere, Ruth mentions Miss Geraldine, a sweet, soft-tempered guardian (see, told you), asking if Kathy likes her. Kathy replies in the affirmative. And this is where Ruth mentions the "Secret Guard" and almost begrudgingly lets Kathy into this prestigious club. Apparently Ruth and her friends think someone is planning to kidnap Miss Geraldine and the Secret Guard collect evidence against people, blaming (between themselves) random people for being at the head of the conspiracy. They never actually do anything to protect Miss Geraldine, instead just continuing to "gather evidence."
Miss Geraldine is the root of the problems Kathy and Ruth start having. Ruth always hints that Miss Geraldine favors her over all the other students and finally that Miss Geraldine gave her this really pretty pencil case. She never directly says this so Kathy cannot confront her. So she comes up with a plan to figure out the truth, because she believes Ruth just bought it from the Sale (the Sale is where the children get all their stuff, clothes, toys, gadgets, etc.). She tells Ruth she was looking at the register, where all the information on what was bought lies. Ruth responds to this worriedly; she knows Kathy has figured out Miss Geraldine definitely did not give Ruth that pencil case. Instead of getting angry, though, and getting back at Kathy, Ruth becomes downcast, and Kathy feels sorry. She makes mentions about how Miss Geraldine favors Ruth to make amends.
This section seems a little unimportant to me, but I guess it must be setting up Ruth's character and her relationship with Kathy for further down the road. Not much to say about this section other than GET TO THE POINT! I just want to know what is going on with Hailsham, why Madame is afraid of the children, why Miss Lucy says the children should know more? So many unanswered questions, it makes my brain go fuzzy.

Round 6

So, national public radio has this contest called Three Minute Fiction where ordinary people submit short, fictional stories. They have several rounds, each round judged by a different person, each judge setting certain parameters the author must write within. Round 6 stories must contain someone telling a joke, and someone laughing. I read several stories from Round 6, but my favorite one went by the name of Soft-Shoe by Cynthia Gunadi. A father lies in his hospital bed, unable to answer to his 6 year old son's jokes, unable to ask his weeping mother-in-law to leave. He describes his son, Joseph, and his routine, how Joseph would ask him a joke, and he would return with another. The narrator describes himself as "practically vegetal" but able to respond with groans, twitching limbs, hoping Joseph realizes he's trying to "convey all the knock-knock [he] knows." The thing that gives him away, communicates to Joseph and his mother-in-law that he is still there, is when he breaks wind, reaching through his mother-in-laws sobs and causing her to snicker.
The really sad part about this tragic, yet quietly funny story is that this little boy has practically lost both of his parents. Apparently his mother already passed away and now his father is trapped inside his own body. While I'm always up for a sad story, I like the way Gunadi inserted humor at the end, lifting the characters spirits and mine along with it.

Sweet Discombobulation!

Ah books! The way you speak to me is magical, however sometimes I feel like you're speaking a different language. Okay, maybe it's not THAT dramatic, but I feel like Never Let Me Go is a fast moving carousel, that likes to switch directions every five seconds, and I'm still standing outside the gate, waiting to be let on by the teenage ticket-taker, too busy reading her tabloid magazine to notice my hand waving paper in her face. Nice image right? I know I'm so proud. So Kathy H. is a "carer" and so far I still have no idea what that means. I know the story begins when she's older, but as of late she's been having many flashbacks to when she was 12, going off on tangents about her years as a Hailsham student. Their traditions and schedules are odd to me, and I find myself wondering if they've ever been out of "school?" To further clarify, here are some thoughts directly from my brain (you're so lucky, I know), "It seems like these kids never really had a life before they started at Hailsham...Do they have families? Did they start "school" at birth? Do they get a summer? Any time off? What is the deal!?!" Stimulating, wasn't it? Back to the point. Kathy describes the guardians, which are more or less teachers at the school. Apparently, Miss Emily is the head guardian and is very intimidating, although she's softspoken. Miss Lucy seems like a more rebellious guardian, perhaps because she speaks about the gallery directly to the students. The gallery is a collection of the "best" creative works from students, gathered 3-4 times a year by "Madame." Kathy's friend Ruth is convinced that Madame is afraid of the students and they set out to discover whether her claim rings true. Apparently it does, because when they approach her, Madame stiffens. Doesn't gasp or shriek. Just freezes and holds her breath. Like she's afraid they're going to brush against her. Kathy (older Kathy) hints at Hailsham's main objective at this point. She says "there are people out there, like Madame, who don't hate you or wish you any harm, but who nevertheless shudder at the very thought of you-of how you were brought into this world and why-and who dread the idea of your hand brushing against theirs." It gives more detail of what Hailsham's all about, but still lacks the ultimate epicenter of the purpose of the place. I'm really looking forward to figuring this mystery out. Oh, one more thing. There's this really creepy part where Kathy mentions the woods, and how everyone's afraid of them, who even sob just looking at them at night. There's a story, that once a boy who had a row (fight, for all those who are not as versed in real English as I ;) with his mates (friends) and ran into the woods. Days later, apparently, his body was found tied to a tree, the hands and feet cut off. Gross, right? I'm curious what role the woods will play in Kathy's ultimate story... I must read on!

Never Let Me Go

So I'm really confused by this book I'm reading. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is about three kids who live in England and go to a boarding school, apparently called Hailsham. What I've discovered so far is that Kathy is friends with a group of girls, who all revolve around the character of Ruth. She's kind of like the ring leader I guess. And their acquaintance/friend (it hasn't been distinguished thus far) Tommy has anger management issues I guess. He's really good at football (England's soccer) and is all psyched when they're warming up and when it gets around to picking teams, he doesn't even get chosen. So he starts throwing a temper tantrum, which by what Kathy says (she's the narrator) I assume to be a common occurrence. Kathy keeps commenting on how he's going to get his favorite shirt all dirty and when she brings this up with Tommy himself, he becomes even more enraged and yells at her. Later he apologizes, in the midst of another odd common occurence: the children must have checkups and wait in line on the stairs for them. They're checked for health development.

I'm not sure what's going on in the book at this point. I feel like I'm walking around blindfolded. It's discombobulating, but the curiosity is too great for me to stop reading. Let the confusing novel unfold!

Atonement, Parts Two and Three

While part one of Atonement sets up the story and the crime Briony Tallis commits, part two follows Robbie after the crime has been committed and part three follows Briony as a parallel story line.

So the crime? Well, Briony turns out to be a lot worse than I expected. After the twins ran away, and Lola vanishes into the night, the search party breaks up, Cecilia with Leon and, supposedly, Paul Marshall. Briony watches as Robbie walks away by himself. She's extremely wary of him after witnessing certain events in the library, and who could blame her, really? For a thirteen year old, that's a pretty confusing event. Anyway, Briony decides to head off on her own in search of Pierrot and Jackson, but what she happens upon is more sinister than two boys lurking in the dark. Wandering around, Briony wonders if perhaps the boys were hiding in her favorite spot down by the bridge. She hears and sees no one in the darkness, assuming Cecilia and Leon had already passed over the bridge. She also assumed Cecilia would be telling Leon of Robbie's assault on her (as Briony sees it). Boy, was she off. Anyway, she heads down to the copse beneath the bridge, but instead of encountering Jackson and Pierrot, she finds Lola and a man, who rises off of Lola and slips away before he can be found out. In the dark, Briony could not see his face, but assumes that it was Robbie. This part is rather sad, seeing as Lola has been shamed and violated. Briony feels this occurrence has brought them closer together and comforts her cousin. Long story short, Briony and Lola return home, Briony gives an account of what has happened, blames Robbie (who's still no where to be found) and the police are called. Cecilia and Leon return, and then Paul Marshall (suspiciously alone..?*). Briony then has a "brilliant" idea, rushing up to Cecilia's room to steal the note Robbie wrote to her. She wants to show it as evidence of his maniacal thoughts and, therefore, actions. Of course, this makes Cecilia furious, saying its an invasion of her privacy, that the note was meant only for her.

Someone reports seeing Robbie approaching the house, and the policemen, Emily, Briony and Leon wait outside for him. What's described as a seven foot man approaches but as time passes, they realize it is Robbie, carrying one of the twins on his shoulders, the other holding his hand and stumbling behind him. The worst part is that after this kind, heroic act, the police still arrest Robbie, even though the only testament they have to his crime is Briony, who couldn't see his face, and Lola, who claims to not know who it was that assaulted her. Briony kept saying "I know it was him" thinking she is protecting Cecilia and Lola. So Robbie's being loaded into the police car when Briony sees Cecilia rush out to him and they exchange words. Briony can't tell what's being said, but assumes Cecilia is accusing Robbie of his crimes, and then forgiving him. Part one ends with Grace Turner, Robbie's mother, attacking the hood of the police car with an umbrella, and shouting "Liars! Liars!" many times over.

Part two is basically just following Robbie, five years later. He's out of jail, but only because he agreed to join the military (World War II is happening at this moment in the story). This part is really rather gruesome and somewhat boring, accepting parts where mysteries are revealed. Robbie and Cecilia have been in touch. What Cecilia actually said to Robbie that night he was arrested was not an accusation but a confession of love. It is also disclosed that when she was ten, Briony confessed to Robbie that she loved him, rendering her an untrustworthy narrator. It now looks as if every word from her point of view was a lie, forged through her jealousy, although she claimed it was fear for her sister's life. Robbie hears from Cecilia that she has cut ties with her family and now Briony (who's working as a nurse, like Cecilia) wants to clear Robbie's name.

I've just started part three which shows Briony's point of view as a probationer (nurse trainee) in a particularly tough hospital ward. They're cleaning and clearing the ward for the influx of wounded soldiers coming in from France.

The thing that keeps me reading when parts get exceptionally boring (Robbie's war parts) is Robbie and Cecilia's relationship. What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic. I'm afraid they won't end up together, that some unforeseeable force will keep them apart, something I desperately don't want to happen.

I've never actually ever hated a fictional character before, but Briony has me seeing red. Because of her, Robbie and Cecilia aren't together, Cecilia cuts herself off from her family, Robbie went to jail and has to face one of the most horrific wars in history. Other than my disdain for one of the main characters, I'm enthralled by this book. I can't wait to see what happens at the end, and then I can see the movie! (Keira Knightley and James McAvoy? Such a promising cast).

*I'm extremely suspicious of Paul Marshall, and am almost positive he was the person that attacked Lola, not Robbie.