For me, the best part of a Cormoran Strike book is not the first reading, but the re-reads, knowing full spoilers. and seeing the hints you missed and the red herrings you fell for. Here's some thoughts.
Spoilers below.
- Kevin Pirbright was right on his blog. The UHC lawyers may have threatened legal action to get it taken down, but he was truthful on at least a couple of points.
- "Those lucky enough to escape prosecution." Mazu Wace was not the only holdover from the Aylmerton Community to Chapman Farm. Rusty Anderson seemed to live on the outskirts of the community; we don't know if he was part of the pedophilia ring. But Harold Coates, Lucy's abuser, was part of both communities and seemed to escape prosecution for his crimes. Why did Mazu testify against the Crowther's and not Coates? Is it because she was the latter's accomplice, rather than victim?
- Kevin also seemed to be correct that the money collectors were pressured to get a certain quota in for donations or face punishment from Taio.
- When Strike promises Henry not to approach Flora. this is the second time he has made a promise not to look for this specific woman, though he doesn't know it.
- It's also interesting that Strike first thinks that Henry might work at an art gallery. He met another Henry, art vendor to the rich and famous, and an acquaintance of Charlotte, in LW.
- Charlotte ambushes him right after that meeting too.
- I thought it was interesting that Naimh had a Charlotte Bronte quotation on her shirt.
- Are we supposed to believe that Mazu genuinely was the daughter of Malcolm Crowther? Her mother Anna was 14, so that fits. If so, that would make it less likely that she was abused by the Crowther brothers; while there are certainly some pedophiles that wouldn't be put off by incest, we don't know that that was the Crowthers' thing. If so, it would seem that she genuinely was more of their accomplice than a victim.
- But, it also seems that she did testify against them and speak about the child abuse. Did Wace turn her against her father?
- The pregnancy echoes are interesting. Robin worries about Wan working outside while pregnant in the same way Henry was concerned about Deidre. Robin also hears of 14 YO Anna's difficult delivery of Mazu, and participates in Wan's difficult breech delivery, then hears how Flora's baby died under similar circumstances. Her actions at the end assure that little Yixin won't have the same sexual abuse and early pregnancy as Lin.
- I wonder if there is a story behind Dev's unexpectedly harsh reaction to the possibility of Will having fathered a child with an underage girl.
- I think the mother-of-pearl fish pendant is analogous to the Locket horcrux of Deathly Hallows
I think there are many interesting conversations around pregnancy and birth control. I am very interested in how the conflict between pregnancy/ motherhood and work/vocation will play out in future books.
ReplyDeleteI am increasing convinced that the attitudes that Strike and Robin evince in ways that garner readers' support eventually turn out to be mistaken, or at least quite nuanced. For example, in SW, when Robin decides to drive Strike through the snow rather than prioritize being present for Mathew in his time of need, we sympathize with her -- she needs and deserves a chance to fulfill her professional calling. But, I wonder if JKR doesn't think her behavior was "ego-motivated," a failure to be a good friend to Mather during the most difficult time of his life. Robin's experience in the temple Revelation suggests the latter. Similarly, in TB, Ilsa's decision to stay in court rather than immediately rush to the hospital, is another time when we instinctively side with Ilsa. However, descriptions of pregnant women being pushed to work, not fed, and generally compromising their health suggest an alternate point of view. I wonder what future plots will imply about this issue?
I also wonder if we are being set up for future plot turns related to pregnancy. Although there are good reasons for Robin to use an IUD and for Strike to be scrupulous about condom use, in this book we learn that Robin uses birth control pills (also remember that in TB, the author points out that antibiotics can make the pill less effective) and Strike also seems to rely on female hormonal birth control. I don't think that Bijoux will continue to be part of the ongoing story, but neither do I think it is an accident that the plot pointed in the direction of a possible unplanned pregnancy. I wonder whether these tidbits will amount to an unexpected pregnancy in future.
Actually, Robin's decision to risk missing the funeral to help Strike was one of the very few times I had sympathy for the Flobberworm. Between that and Robin musing that Mrs. Cunliffe never much liked her and, in fact, considered her "tainted" by the circumstances under which she left university--- though we didn't know it was rape at the time, many suspected some sort of trauma--- there were some pretty strong indicators that the marriage was not a good idea.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Robin was on her shakiest moral ground in the midst of a snowstorm is an example of reverse alchemy in the series, https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/robin-ellacott-and-reverse-alchemy-transformation-through-the-first-three-strike-texts/