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The Shadow King


An unforgettable epic shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, and named a best ...
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The reader is given an intimate perspective on a variety of characters, including some who might not normally be considered worthy of empathy. How did you feel about having access to these characters' thoughts?

Created: 09/16/20

Replies: 7

Posted Sep. 16, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

The reader is given an intimate perspective on a variety of characters, including some who might not normally be considered worthy of empathy. How did you feel about having access to these characters' thoughts?

The reader is given an intimate and nuanced perspective on a variety of characters, including some who might not normally be considered worthy of empathy, such as Kidane and Fucelli. How did you feel about having access to these characters' thoughts?


Posted Sep. 19, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
elisabethc

Join Date: 07/16/19

Posts: 42

RE: The reader is given an intimate perspective on a variety of characters, including some who might not normally be considered worthy of empathy. How did you feel about having access to these characters' thoughts?

I found this approach somewhat refreshing because I didn't feel that the novel was trying to convince me that all the characters were likeable or that I should feel sympathetic towards them (although there is room to feel this way with even some of the less sympathetic characters). Instead, it simply focuses on what is interesting and noteworthy about them, and creates a very intimate and character-driven perspective on circumstances surrounding war.


Posted Sep. 22, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
lindac

Join Date: 06/13/11

Posts: 33

RE: The reader is given an intimate perspective on a variety of characters, including some who might not normally be considered worthy of empathy. How did you feel about having access to these characters' thoughts?

I liked how this more intimate perspective of the characters made the book richer and the characters more meaningful. Giving more information helped me to decide for myself how each one impacted me withing the narrative of this awful war.


Posted Sep. 22, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
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bookfabulous

Join Date: 08/01/19

Posts: 23

RE: The reader is given an intimate perspective on a variety of characters, including some who might not normally be considered worthy of empathy. How did you feel about having access to these characters' thoughts?

It was a huge bonus to get into the minds of the characters because it offered insight into the reasoning behind why the characters chose the paths that they did or acted in the way that they did. It certainly portrayed a more realistic representation of the characters in that it showed that good people are not flawless and that flawed ones are not without redeeming moments.

I particularly liked the use of photo descriptions which brought home the idea that one captured scene hides behind it a multitude of stories.


Posted Sep. 30, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
windellh

Join Date: 11/05/17

Posts: 72

RE: The reader is given an intimate perspective on a variety of characters, including some who might not normally be considered worthy of empathy. How did you feel about having access to these characters' thoughts?

Having access to a characters thoughts expands ones knowledge of the events taking place and the authors' view of their importance in the narrative. Each person has a separate response to similar events that makes them unique.


Posted Oct. 05, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
janicea

Join Date: 04/20/17

Posts: 33

RE: The reader is given an intimate perspective on a variety of characters, including some who might not normally be considered worthy of empathy. How did you feel about having access to these characters' thoughts?

The access to different characters made the war seem realistic. As we know battles are not won with only leaders, it also takes the foot soldiers and others in between. And in the battles in Ethiopia, it included women (often neglected in war stories) who filled important roles. Without the examination of so many characters, much would have been lost in understanding the importance of all people connected to this atrocious war. Finally, by including the characters who we think should not gain our empathy, the author made the war more real, as war involves people who become vengeful and desirous of power and control.


Posted Oct. 14, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
juliaa

Join Date: 12/03/11

Posts: 280

RE: The reader is given an intimate perspective on a variety of characters, including some who might not normally be considered worthy of empathy. How did you feel about having access to these characters' thoughts?

Having access to these characters thoughts enriched the reading experience for me, and even gave me some empathy for characters I would otherwise have found totally repugnant. This narrative technique, as others have said, made the war more realistic.


Posted Oct. 23, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Peggy H

Join Date: 06/13/11

Posts: 272

RE: The reader is given an intimate perspective on a variety of characters, including some who might not normally be considered worthy of empathy. How did you feel about having access to these characters' thoughts?

The battle in Ethiopia certainly involved a number of different people and the author describing their actions and thoughts made the scenes and the people in them more realistic.


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