There are many groups referred to in Shamsie's novel that I am unfamiliar with. By using context from the surrounding pages, I have usually not had that much trouble guessing what the purpose of this group is. For example, when reading Eamonn's section when he was going to his parents house, his mother mentioned an "increased security" of "SO1 officers" (Shamsie 103). It is easy to understand the SO1's purpose here, however I would like to know more about specifically what type of officers they are.
Another topic mentioned that was interesting to me was Farooq and Parvaiz's shared interest in soccer: "he supported Real Madrid, Parvaiz Arsenal, but they agreed on the greatness of Özil" (Shamsie 131). This interested me because of the parallels it has with my life rather than the significance it holds to the plot. My dad has been an Arsenal supporter for over 20 years, so I have been one all my life. My favorite player of all time is Özil and I brought a jersey of his to college with me. So, this was a very cool coincidence to find. Also, Özil is a practicing muslim which is likely another reason Farooq and Parvaiz gravitated towards supporting him.
Looking at language, the phrase "jigari dost" stuck out to me. I obviously did not know what it meant at first. I also had never heard of "Urdu", the language it comes from. The meaning, "a friendship so deep it was lodged within you" was excellent in foreshadowing how Parvaiz and Farooq's relationship would develop.
John, thanks for sharing the research topics that interest you. That coincidence of the soccer interest is so cool! Stuff like that really just makes me think about how it's a small world. With regards to the other topics of interest, I agree that there were a lot of words/phrases I didn't understand, specifically relating to military terms/vocabulary. Additionally, something I've enjoyed throughout the book is learning about the Urdu words mentioned!
ReplyDeleteI think learning about Urdu and its cultural significance could be a really interesting research topic. Urdu comes up a lot throughout the novel and understanding what is means to speak the language and how that fits in with Eamonn and his father's relationship could be worth looking into.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a lot of missing context for me as someone who isn't well informed of the Muslim religion, and I wonder how much harder this book would hit for someone who not only understood all of the references, but could relate to aspects of the book.
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