Welcome to this last episode on Crossing the Mangrove. In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss their thoughts on the ending: what surprised them, what annoyed them, whose narrative they were ultimately drawn toward, and what they think the story is really about. They talk about Xantippe’s character being an archtype of the first Adam, the role of “the Good” as Plato expresses it in The Republic and how the Good it is expressed throughout this CTM narrative. They spend much time talking about the women of this story, especially the two women at its heart: Vilma and Mira, and what their individual narratives suggest for them moving forward. They talk about prophets, and suffering, truth and love, and much, much more.
This episode was great fun to record; a fitting way to close the book on Crossing the Mangrove.
The next book for The Reader & the Writer will be Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee. Shari and Rhea will take five weeks to read this epic novel telling the story of a poor, Korean immigrant family four generations strong. You can find out more about the story itself and the R&W reading plan here:
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