Book Summary and Reviews of Certainty by Madeleine Thien

Book Summary

Gail Lim, a producer of radio documentaries in present-day Vancouver, finds herself haunted by events in her parents' past in war-torn Asia, a past which remains a mystery that fiercely grips her imagination.

As a child, Gail's father, Matthew Lim, wandered the Leila Road and the jungle fringe with his lovely Ani, a girl whose early bond with Matthew will affect his life always. As children, they found themselves together under the terrifying shadow of war in Japanese-occupied Sandakan, Malaysia. The war shatters their families and splits the two apart until years later, when they remeet only to be separated again. The legacy of their connection is later inherited by Matthew's wife, Clara, in unexpected ways.

Gail's journey to unravel the mystery of her parents' lives takes her to Amsterdam, where she meets the war photographer Sipke, who tells his story of Ani and their relationship, which began in Jakarta, a story that will bring Gail face to face with the complications in her own life and lead her closer to the truth.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. When Certainty begins, its heroine is dead. Why do you think Madeleine Thien made that decision? Other than the flashbacks, how does she keep Gail "alive" for the reader? How would it change the book's import if Gail were truly alive?
2. Matthew tells Ani that he longs for a life "free from uncertainty," and she thinks of their lives "unfolding like the casting of a net, when the lines left your hands, you knew where the entirety would fall" [p 166]. At its heart, the novel tells us that human beings long for certainty, but rarely achieve it. What are some of the ways this idea surfaces in Certainty?
3. The novel's first epigraph, about the illusory distinction between past, present, and future, is from a condolence letter ...