I finished reading Nick Harkaway’s Tigerman right before the book club meeting, something I normally don’t do! I’m usually really good about having a book read well in advance, but I pushed it this time. I’m not sure if I think it helped me be more prepared for the meeting or if it didn’t give me time to reflect on the book properly. We’ll see how I feel about doing it at the end of the month, too!
Harkaway’s father is John le Carré, an author I didn’t recognize by name but whose titles include Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Constant Gardener. Le Carré worked for MI6 before becoming a writer and it’s hard to imagine this didn’t influence Harkaway’s writing.
Thought I was one of few who disliked the book outright, many agreed that the first half dragged quite a bit. I’m glad other noticed this, too! There was a lot of setup for the book and some action earlier on would have been appreciated.
Those who did like the book liked that it was unpredictable. The next step in the plot wasn’t usually easy to find and a few things made for quick changes in direction. Shola, Jack, and the Fleet come to mind. There was also a lot of layers of meaning and commentary in the book. The environment was one that stuck out most to me and others point out war, father-son relationships, and a sense of duty. Many also liked the understated humor of the book. I guess I didn’t find this enough to make up for what I felt was an overwhelming amount of detail.
Of the major characters in the book, most were foreigners on the island. The Wwitch, Lester, NatProMan, the Fleet, and most others were visiting the island, getting something from their time there. Shola, the Boy, and White Raoul are the biggest exceptions. There was a lot of outside influence on Mancreau.
The rest of this will discuss some spoilers so end here if you want to skip them! We wondered by White Raoul didn’t act like more of a parent to the Boy. He seemed to know he was not being cared for at home. We wondered if his physical deformity kept him from being a caretaker. White Raoul seemed to know the Boy was Jack and was likely Jack himself before, maybe passing it on. Maybe the Boy’s mother was Jack before her accident?
The Boy was very smart. He manipulated Lester into becoming the Tigerman. The Boy was influenced by comic books and in the end, he influenced Lester to become a character in one. Lester often reflected on all the bad things he’d seen while serving in Afghanistan and how powerless he had been to stop those things. Becoming Tigerman gave him a way to influence the bad things around him and finally help create a better world.
The Boy’s mother was an odd twist. We saw her accident and subsequent mental illness somewhat like Uncle Ben in Spiderman. Losing his mother made the Boy become Jack the same way Uncle Ben’s death helps Peter Parker become Spiderman. It was just another tie-in to the comic book world. This book had a few of these we felt were well placed and gave it a comic book feel.
We’re taking a month off before this group meets again in August. Maybe I’ll have time to finish some other reads?! We’ll see.
Until next time, write on.
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Taking On a World of Words 