I keep forgetting to ask a question, so I am going to start with it this time: If you could title this work differently, what would you title it? Based on my own experience reading the novel I would title it something like: “The Surfacing of Fears Sunken in Her Pond of Yellow Soap.” Maybe a bit long, and not so much a title, but that scene where the mother cleaned her house was the most impactful for me.
Now that the question has been asked (I’m sorry for forgetting y’all) my thoughts on “The Lover”
I liked it. The writing style was probably my favourite of all the novels we’ve read. The story itself was not very plot-heavy, which I like. I like reading stories about people and their relations so all the stuff about her family and mother was very compelling to me.
I think that the sexual relationship between her and the older Chinese man was interesting, but her relationship with Helene Lagonelle was the most intimate to me. Although she doesn’t talk about Helene frequently, in two of the times she does talk about her she describes intense sexual and personal attraction to Helene. Especially on page 102 the descriptions of wanting to have “whispering conversations” with her shows the deep intimacy that she sees herself capable of having with her. Although she and the man from Cholon have physical intimacy, on page 74 she describes wanting Helen as a part of this physical intimacy. I wonder why Helen is brought up in the story at all? Is Marguerite expressing homosexual attraction? If not, what other purpose does expresssing your attraction to another woman have? I see Helen as as women to be compared in opposition to Marguerite’s mother, like the beggar. On page 102 Marguerite expresses how H.L. waits up for Marguerite, unlike her mother, who doesn’t care and even tells the school to let her go with whoever she wants. Another thing that I found powerful was the line that describes H.L. as: “not lying down decorously like the other girls”. Marguerite sees her mother as a faker who tries to seem more wealthy, and mentally well than she is; she lies about her sons, she has houseboys even though they don’t have much food, etc. H.L. is not that, she is true. Despite many nights spent together, even the man from Cholon is never described when he is sleeping (although it is said that Marguerite is seen sleeping by him). In this way, even though they don’t have sex, her relationship with H.L. is expressed as more intimate than her relationship with the man. Clearly, H.L. was impactful enough on Marguerite’s life to make it into the book, despite not having any significant role in her life such as family or lover. I think she shows how Marguerite is just beginning her journey, with the man from Cholon. Her curiosity about H.L. shows how the man from Cholon is not capable of being the intimacy that Marguerite needs, she is deeper than he understands with more to explore and discover within herself (likely because she is FIFTEEN!!!)
anyways, those are my thoughts, (again sorry about the question lacking previously)
Beyond my question at the start, does anyone have any thoughts on ol’ H.L.?
Dalia