So I absolutely loved this book! From its palpable characters, lucid imagery, & heartfelt language. The entire thing played out like a movie in my head. It was gonna be my first 5 star read in ages, until its last chapter.
The ending felt weirdly rushed. What were the chances of all the main characters (who all despise each other) gathered together at the right place, the right time just as mungo shows up? Why did Hamish try to take the fall for his brother? Why was Mungo’s last thought of Jodie so sour? How did the police immediately find the bodies when the loch was otherwise abandoned?
I know some people decided to take that ending metaphorically, but that interpretation makes even less sense. Why would the author feel the need to elaborate on how Jodie had notified & gotten James there if we were meant to scrutinize the very idea of his existence at that point? Seems like a pointless paragraph if James really was nothing more than a hallucination.
Another thing is, why did that truck driver talk to mungo about his “artsy” son? What is it about mungo that made people identify his sexuality immediately?
Idk what did you think of that ending? This book would’ve been (to me) an otherwise perfect read.
(Oh also, please don’t spoil anything about Shauggie Bain. I still haven’t gotten around to that book.)
by Knuraie
2 Comments
Okay so, it’s been long enough since I finished the book that I forgot a lot of the finer details, but I *can* answer your question about how Mungo’s sexuality is so obvious to people. A big point of friction between Mungo and his mother and Hamish is that Mungo isn’t manly enough, right? His mom sends him to the loch because she wants him to learn to be manly so he’ll be straight. A Real Man(TM) is supposed to be rough and tumble, be physically strong, look masculine, solve his problems with violence and enjoy doing it, not do emotions because that’s girl stuff, and–and this part is important–bang or at least be vocally interested in banging tons of hot chicks. In a repressive gender-role-obsessed society, you can’t just be a man, you have to be a Real Man(TM), and if your performance of some Man things is insufficient, people make assumptions about all the other things, including (especially) your sexuality. Some people have a super easy time doing this performance, some people find it harder, some people actually, constitutionally, *can’t* do it and get clocked as different no matter. Mungo’s in category number 3.
Is this a spin-off/sequel to Blazing Saddles? Is Mungo only pawn in game of life?