What I know about you, by Eric Chacour, translated by Pablo Strauss, pub’d 2024(written originally in french, entitled “Ce que je sais de toi” and pub’d in 2023 in Quebec and France)
Those present; Jennifer J, Betsy, Julie, Murielle, Barbara, Denise, Katharine C, Peggy Rig, Rosie, Sue Rich, Mariannick, Sealia, Pat
Approx. 50% of those present had read the book in the original french.
The group had been sent, via email, background and interviews regarding the author, Eric Chacour, a Quebecois, who took 15 years to complete his novel, which, as of July 2015, had been translated into 10 languages, and nominated, and won, many awards.
The novel is in three sections: the first section “You” is written in the second person, with a focus on the story of Tarek the doctor; the second section “Me”is written in the first person, the narrator is Rafik, Tarek’s son, who had stayed in Egypt when his father left. The last section “We” pulls together all the threads of the story. All those present had formed views on the narrator, which the author had, by design, obfuscated (and which resulted in confusion amongst several readers, regarding what the characters do/do not know). Chacour is on record saying "I wanted each reader to come up with their own theories as to who could be the narrator" adding "someone once described What I Know About You as a poetic detective novel” which pleased him.
Jennifer, who nominated the book for discussion, had liked the book because she learned about Egyptian culture of the 1960’s-1980’s, and she cared about the characters. Immediately, our discussion focussed on what had interested our group, starting with family expectations in Egypt, and whether there can be a healthy balance between family expectations and how one wishes to live one’s life - Tarek’s response was to flee Egypt for a new start in Canada, abandoning his family. Tarek was conflicted; he was also selfish. We noted that women found their way to have power within their family. (Peggy noted that she found this in Tunisia, when she lived there). Rosie commented that the author was strong in defining women, with the exception of Mira, Tarek’s wife, who didn’t tell Tarek she was pregnant when he departed for a new life, and re-training as a doctor, in Canada. While Tarek showed good sides of his character in terms of service in the public sector as a surgeon, he could not be happy in his personal life in Egypt. (While homosexuality was not illegal in Egypt, it was not accepted in the Levantine Christian community).
On several occasions, members felt that the author hadn’t expressed himself clearly; Chacour has said that his favourite part of writing is “the silences”.
Sealia was bothered by the possibility that Tarek’s mother had been involved in Ali’s death. Betsy was unconvinced about the relationship between Tarek and Ali, who had no commonality of interests other than sex. Sealia commented that Tarek had a “saviour”complex which Ali resented, although Ali appreciated the friendly warmth of Tarek’s house compared with his own
Strict home.
Our Book Group Chair, Wendy Harding, was not present, but sent the following thoughtful comments, recapitulated in their entirety:
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It was a pleasure for me to read Chacour in French. I was intrigued by the book from the outset. The use of the 2nd person ("Toi" is the title of the first part) gave a sense of intimacy, but also posed a problem. Who is the speaker? Who knows the person addressed so well that he or she uses the familiar form? Who knows how Tarek's father spoke to him? I wondered at first if it was his mother, but then at the end of the first chapter, she's mentioned in the 3rd person. Is it just the omniscient narrator taking the liberty of addressing the protagonist?
It's not until very late in the reading, when the section entitled "Moi" begins that you know that it's Tarek's son speaking. THEN that poses all sorts of new questions. How does he know so much about the father he has never met? We learn that he poses as a journalist and then finally tells his father who he is. But that still doesn't resolve the question of his knowledge. Is most of the "Toi" section of the book an invention pieced together from things his family and Fatheya have told him? Has his father told him about the past events?
Another element that raised questions for me was the way the character of Rafik's mother, Mira, is presented in the book. There's a kind of inversion there--Rafik has never known his father, yet he writes all these pages about him. He's grown up with his mother, but she's almost like a ghost in the book, flitting in and out, mostly absent. How do we explain her absences during her time with Tarek? The descriptions of the sounds of vomiting hint that she's either pregnant or bulimic. Are the absences linked to some kind of treatment?
The first chapter is brilliant because it reveals the problem of the dominating father and the demands he makes on his son in that simple conversation about the red car and the choice of profession.
The unfolding of Tarek's relationship with Ali, as well as the interference of the neighbors and Tarek's mother, lets us understand the problems of class differences and also of the stigma of homosexuality in Egypt.
All the secrecy and constraints he has to endure (and he imposes on himself) make Tarek into a tragic figure. (By Wendy Harding).
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The consensus from the group was that the novel was thoughtful and well-written, and notable from so many published books that are cranked out. It certainly gave rise to a spirited discussion. Thanks to Jennifer for suggesting the book.
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