Blog #10 - The Ash Garden

QUOTATIONS:

Quotation #1:
"He nodded. "Yes," he said. "I'm back.""

I like this particular quotation because, even though we know that Anton and Sophie will not be able to have children, and will not live as happily together as they wished they would, this shows the time in their lives when they didn't know what was in store for them, and were hopeful for the future. Anton appeared to have made a bounce back from his state of self pity, regret, and anger at what his role in the bomb, which he had to do soon if he did not want his marriage to end in an ugly fashion. Sophie appears to be happy during this scene, and although she knows she won't be able to have children, she believes she has her loving husband back, which is all she cares about for the moment. I like this quotation because it shows two people in love and together once again, despite the challenges they have faced, and the trials still ahead.

Quotation #2:
"We bought hotdogs and Mrs. Forrester showed me how to dress mine, all this without words, squeezing ketchup and spooning relish and sauerkraut, and when I bit into its centre she smiled and repositioned the bun lengthwise in my hands."

This quotation appeals to me because it depicts Emiko attempting to live a normal life, and Mrs. Forrester trying to help her, even in the smallest of ways. Eating a hotdog on a summer day may seem to us like nothing special, or out of the ordinary, but that's exactly why it would be important to Emiko: because it is ordinary. For someone scarred by the Atomic bomb, who no longer looks normal, or is treated normally by her own people, to be able to do something ordinary for a change would be a real treat I imagine. Any chance for her to catch a glimpse of a regular, unscarred life would be relished I imagine (pardon the pun). All the more so because the concept of a hotdog was clearly a new experience for Emiko. I also like this scene because it is rather amusing to picture somebody trying to eat a hotdog sideways!

Quotation #3:
"He watched for insects and matched what he saw in the air to a blue-winged olive he carried in his fly box, tied it to his tippet and stepped carefully into the river."

I particularly like this quoatation because it describes with fantastic accuracy one of my most favourite leisurely pursuits: fly-fishing. In this scene, Anton is fishing in a river near his home in Port Elizabeth, and Marlie, the girl who Anton helped when her leg was broken on the toboggan hill during the winter, comes across him in the river. He feels an overwhelming urge to introduce himself, and to ask how her leg is feeling. To me, that really conveys to the reader how human Anton is. I do, however, have a bone to pick with one detail of the fly-fishing description. When watching for bugs to determine what type of fly to use, you look at the bugs on the water's surface, not the bugs in the air. This is because those are the bugs that are easiest for the fish to get, and like everything else in life, if you make things easy for others (human or not), you're more likely to get a response! Especially as during the summer time, as Bock mentioned, the fish are sluggish and lazy, tending to stick to the bottom of the river or lake, where the water is calmer and cooler.


QUESTIONS:

Question #1: What is your experience with fly-fishing, and do you have any good spots to recommend?

Question #2: What inspired you to write about the atomic bomb as opposed to a less depressing subject?

Question #3: Is there a personal connection for you to any aspect of the book, or is your novel entirely based on events unrelated to your life?