Comments | mrmorse: Stating the obvious

mrmorse

Stating the obvious

Sep 17, 2009 21:04

In anticipation of the publication of Fire, I reread Graceling.

Graceling is a really good book.

Some things I like about GracelingThe story ( Read more... )

Comments 5

greenlily September 18 2009, 02:12:54 UTC

I should read this again too...I seem to recall that, on first reading, I thought Sekrit Gay Couple was relatively stealthy but that Katsa knew there was something even if she didn't exactly know what. :)

orichalcum September 18 2009, 05:02:24 UTC

I definitely thought Katsa knew about Sekrit Gay Couple.

I've been rereading a bunch of British children's fiction lately, and it's striking how many Sekrit Gay Couples there are that I totally missed as a kid. I wonder if Mac will read them differently, growing up in a different paradigm.

in_parentheses September 18 2009, 12:46:45 UTC

I'm curious what the passage was that changed your mind? I always figured Katsa didn't know, because Katsa is so clueless about relationships and emotions and strikes me as the sort of person who would, upon walking in on them making out, exclaim, "Wait, what? Ohhhhh! I had NO IDEA!"

Also, that would be "The New York Times bestselling Graceling" to you!

mrmorse September 18 2009, 15:23:24 UTC

My argument that she doesn't know has been based on the fact that it doesn't come up. If she did know, there would have been some mention of it in the text. In particular, in the scene in which she is freaking out about Giddon and says to Raffin, "You're not in love with me, are you?" asking the question is excusable because she is freaking out at the time, but I would have expected some mention after the fact that of course he's not, that doesn't make any sense. Also, as you said, and as Raffin says in that scene, Katsa's "capacity for missing the obvious is kind of astonishing."

But right at the end of the book, Katsa and Po are talking about not getting married, and Katsa says,

"I told him I'm not going to marry you and hang on to you like a barnacle, just to keep you to myself and stop you loving anyone else ( ... )

digitalemur September 18 2009, 15:34:41 UTC

The conversation about nontraditional relationships, in the last chapter or so of the book (which I do not have at hand, sorry), implies Katsa has figured out about the Ambiguously Gay Duo somewhere along the line. She could just be agreeing with Po and still not entirely sure what she's agreeing with, but I think that's less likely?