Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Book Club Food: Atonement
I've been avoiding writing this entry for a while because I had such strong emotions about Atonement when I first read it and was not in a hurry to go through that again. Nevertheless, it was our first book club book and will be coming out as a movie this year, so it was unavoidable.
Atonement is a good book club book in several different ways. First, some of it is written in the voices of young people, but not so accurately that adult readers want to pull their hair out. Secondly, there is a solid layer of symbolism, metaphor, foreshadowing, and framework that can either be dug into depending on the enthusiasm and training of the group or ignored in favor of the narrative. Thirdly, it will ignite fervent opinions and emotions regarding the turns of events, the characters, and the ending revelation. Finally, it is a book about reading and writing, a true writer's conceit; not only are you encouraged to question the narrator's nature but the nature of writing itself.
A Very Quick Summary:
Atonement begins in Briony Tallis' voice during a hot 1930s summer in the British countryside at her family's estate. She is in love with writing romance plays and has engaged her visiting cousins as actors. When one of them is assaulted later that day, the story they concoct together creates irreparable rifts in her family. Later, alternately hardened and contrite by their roles in the event, some of them struggle through the horrors of War, paying their penance and revealing their true character. Briony, too, attempts to pay for her part by becoming a nurse, honing her skills as a writer at night and eventually trying to make true amends. Later, as an old woman, she reflects back on her role and completes the book about the event and subsequent fallout she has been trying to write in the 60 years since, revealing that [SPOILER--highlight to read]the true events did not have such a happy and satisfying ending, but that is her atonement.[END SPOILER]
Even More Briefly, in a moral: As long as we keep our story straight, it is possible to romanticize any event. We can continue on our path, leaving tragedy behind, have lives outside of that story...we're capable of anything, of changing. But, in our final moments, truth cannot be denied.
Some overriding ideas:
* We force each other into our ideas of how it should be, when they have their own issues outside of our agenda; they also feel obligated to play within the construct despite it being a hardship.
* We imagine ourselves to be heros/heroines of our own lives, when in reality, others typically live those roles despite being "unsuitable."
* Melodrama is not the same thing as change.
* Levels of control: Fate, her grandfather that built the family estate, her father who demands obedience, her mother who controls and is controled by migraines, Cecelia and Robbie who control each other through unspoken emotions, Briony who controls her young cousins, etc. Ultimately, all of these are exercises in futility when shown in light of future events and the War.
* Our idea of karma and what we deserve may not be entirely accurate...or relevant.
Food in Atonement
There is a lot of food mentioned here; some is in passing, and others more integral. It will become quite apparent during your reading which is which, but I'll mark them here with an asterisk. We wanted to combine the book with a Mardi Gras party, so we didn't choose any from the below list EXCEPT the all important chocolate cocktail. Rather than recreate the exact one, which was completely disgusting, we did more of a chocolate granita. You really can't skip making some sort of chocolate drink with Atonement. Period. I'll list any specific recipes the book mentions, including that one (the original).
Drinks:
Iced punch
Chocolate & Rum Drink (chocolate, egg yolk, coconut milk, rum, gin, banana, icing sugar, mint)*
Gin & Tonic
Dessert wine
Wine
Sheep's milk
Tea (in brown mini teapots)
Cocoa
Bovril (beef stock tea)
Foods:
Chocolate bar*
Cold cuts & salads
Roast potato salad (potatoes, olive oil, and lemon)*
Roast*
Lettuces in "gravy"
Beet root & Brussels sprouts
New potatoes
Custard
Soft fruits
Loaf of brown bread, soft cheese, onion
French loaf, olives, cheese, pate, tomatoes, ham*
Pink & White marshmallows
Saucisson (sausage)
Sugared almonds*
Veggies boiled with oxo cube
Bananas, oranges, Swiss chocolate
Slabs of ham, poached eggs, leg of roast chicken, Irish stew, lemon meringue
Toast & strawberry jam
Suggested Menu:
Antipasti platter of olives, cheese, pate, tomatoes, & ham
Loaf of French bread
Roast
Potato salad
Salad
Wine
Custard with fruit
Dessert wine, chocolate cocktail, or hot tea
Party favor: small bag with 6 sugared almonds ("My pig will always remind me of you.") and a chocolate bar
Feel free to add any suggestions or comments about the book or your meeting. Frankly, you may need lighter food to free up people's energy for arguments or you may just be too disgusted with the turn of events. Whatever your feelings, it's a dense book that may be too taxing for some groups due to time constraints, but is very effective in its premise.
Atonement is a good book club book in several different ways. First, some of it is written in the voices of young people, but not so accurately that adult readers want to pull their hair out. Secondly, there is a solid layer of symbolism, metaphor, foreshadowing, and framework that can either be dug into depending on the enthusiasm and training of the group or ignored in favor of the narrative. Thirdly, it will ignite fervent opinions and emotions regarding the turns of events, the characters, and the ending revelation. Finally, it is a book about reading and writing, a true writer's conceit; not only are you encouraged to question the narrator's nature but the nature of writing itself.
A Very Quick Summary:
Atonement begins in Briony Tallis' voice during a hot 1930s summer in the British countryside at her family's estate. She is in love with writing romance plays and has engaged her visiting cousins as actors. When one of them is assaulted later that day, the story they concoct together creates irreparable rifts in her family. Later, alternately hardened and contrite by their roles in the event, some of them struggle through the horrors of War, paying their penance and revealing their true character. Briony, too, attempts to pay for her part by becoming a nurse, honing her skills as a writer at night and eventually trying to make true amends. Later, as an old woman, she reflects back on her role and completes the book about the event and subsequent fallout she has been trying to write in the 60 years since, revealing that [SPOILER--highlight to read]the true events did not have such a happy and satisfying ending, but that is her atonement.[END SPOILER]
Even More Briefly, in a moral: As long as we keep our story straight, it is possible to romanticize any event. We can continue on our path, leaving tragedy behind, have lives outside of that story...we're capable of anything, of changing. But, in our final moments, truth cannot be denied.
Some overriding ideas:
* We force each other into our ideas of how it should be, when they have their own issues outside of our agenda; they also feel obligated to play within the construct despite it being a hardship.
* We imagine ourselves to be heros/heroines of our own lives, when in reality, others typically live those roles despite being "unsuitable."
* Melodrama is not the same thing as change.
* Levels of control: Fate, her grandfather that built the family estate, her father who demands obedience, her mother who controls and is controled by migraines, Cecelia and Robbie who control each other through unspoken emotions, Briony who controls her young cousins, etc. Ultimately, all of these are exercises in futility when shown in light of future events and the War.
* Our idea of karma and what we deserve may not be entirely accurate...or relevant.
Food in Atonement
There is a lot of food mentioned here; some is in passing, and others more integral. It will become quite apparent during your reading which is which, but I'll mark them here with an asterisk. We wanted to combine the book with a Mardi Gras party, so we didn't choose any from the below list EXCEPT the all important chocolate cocktail. Rather than recreate the exact one, which was completely disgusting, we did more of a chocolate granita. You really can't skip making some sort of chocolate drink with Atonement. Period. I'll list any specific recipes the book mentions, including that one (the original).
Drinks:
Iced punch
Chocolate & Rum Drink (chocolate, egg yolk, coconut milk, rum, gin, banana, icing sugar, mint)*
Gin & Tonic
Dessert wine
Wine
Sheep's milk
Tea (in brown mini teapots)
Cocoa
Bovril (beef stock tea)
Foods:
Chocolate bar*
Cold cuts & salads
Roast potato salad (potatoes, olive oil, and lemon)*
Roast*
Lettuces in "gravy"
Beet root & Brussels sprouts
New potatoes
Custard
Soft fruits
Loaf of brown bread, soft cheese, onion
French loaf, olives, cheese, pate, tomatoes, ham*
Pink & White marshmallows
Saucisson (sausage)
Sugared almonds*
Veggies boiled with oxo cube
Bananas, oranges, Swiss chocolate
Slabs of ham, poached eggs, leg of roast chicken, Irish stew, lemon meringue
Toast & strawberry jam
Suggested Menu:
Antipasti platter of olives, cheese, pate, tomatoes, & ham
Loaf of French bread
Roast
Potato salad
Salad
Wine
Custard with fruit
Dessert wine, chocolate cocktail, or hot tea
Party favor: small bag with 6 sugared almonds ("My pig will always remind me of you.") and a chocolate bar
Feel free to add any suggestions or comments about the book or your meeting. Frankly, you may need lighter food to free up people's energy for arguments or you may just be too disgusted with the turn of events. Whatever your feelings, it's a dense book that may be too taxing for some groups due to time constraints, but is very effective in its premise.
Labels: book club
Comments:
Post a Comment
