For the final week, I chose to read The Society of Reluctant Dreamers by José Eduardo Agualusa. I can't believe this is my final blog post. It was a good novel to end off the term with. It was an enjoyable read, but at times I caught myself questioning what was real, imagined and what was being dreamed. It was interesting to see how dreams were illustrated in the sense of dreaming while asleep or daydreaming or having inspiring dreams about the future.
As the title suggests, this book is about dreams and dreamers. Set in Angola, with the hope that the younger generation can bring in a better future after the country's brutal past. The protagonist, Daniel Benchimol, is an Angolan journalist who has just gone through a divorce and is struggling to make sense of his place in changing society while dealing with his daughter's imprisonment as the result of protesting. I liked how Daniel was not always the centre of the novel, and we got to see each character grow and see what their dreams were about. There was a similarity with everyone's dreams. They all dreamed about change or progression. For example, Daniel's daughter acts out her dream for a better Angola. Their hope and strength came from their dreams. Their dreams were different from each other, but they were all a way of escaping reality and how they were forced to experience the changing times. Moira desires to dream her art to life. While Daniel's desire is to make sense of Hossi's dreamlessness.
Hi Diya! Thank you for your insightful post :) I also found those quotes you shared about dreams very impactful--they certainly reveal a unique sense of intimacy. In response to your question, it's difficult to pick a favourite character; honestly, I didn't connect with Daniel too much. If I had to choose, I would say I'm split between Hossi and Karinguiri. I thought they were the most engaging. As for the dreams, I would have to pick the one featuring Hossi as a bird; I'm not sure why I found it relatable, I just know that it really spoke to me.
ReplyDeleteHi Diya, thank you for your post! I also liked how we are able to see the thoughts and perspectives of other characters, not only Daniels'. To answer your question, my favourite character is Hossi. I found his stories interesting and I enjoyed reading from his perspective. I especially like the conversation he had with Daniel about vegetarian. For the second question, Daniel mentioned how he dream about people he doesnt know but who really do exist. I sometimes dreamed about people I dont know.
ReplyDeleteHi Diya! I agree that this novel definitely made me think more about dreams, as I had never really given it much thought in the past. My favorite character is Karinguiri. I found her determination, willingness to fight for freedom despite starving, and her lines extremely inspiring. As mentioned above by Celine, I also remember that I have dreamed about people I don’t recognize in the past. But I heard that people can only dream of a face they have seen before, which was quite fascinating, to have such a vivid dream of someone’s face, but then once you wake up, the details seem to vanish.
ReplyDeleteHi Diya, I enjoyed reading your post this week! I liked your take on dreams being a representation of someone's subconscious as well as the quotes you chose to use. To answer your first question, Karinguiri was my favourite character because she stayed true to what she thought was right despite how hard it was for her.
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