The Society of Reluctant Dreamers - Agualusa

What an interesting read! Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Although it did take quite some time to get through, I was always excited to see what came next. I will admit, I found it difficult at some points to follow the specific characters with their names as well as locations because there was a fair bit of jumping around. However, I found that as I continued to read, I began to make more sense of everything. The different aspects began to fit together and add to one another. 

Dreams: Firstly, as the title points to, dreams and ‘dreamers’. This was a huge theme in this novel. Each character seemed to have a different experience with dreams and attributed different meanings to them. A couple of quotes referring to dreaming that stood out to me were  “Dreams are always echos of something” p. (105) and  “Dreaming is rehearsing reality from the comfort of our own beds” p. (108).  This topic is fascinating to me. 

Relationships: Daniel our narrator was one that I really began to like. I found him honest and enjoyed that he seemed to do what felt right at that moment. After he went through his divorce, he seemed to enjoy his solitude at the Rainbow hotel. There was nothing holding him back from staying somewhere a little longer than intended or meeting up with new people. When he met Moira, it seemed to click. I liked her too and felt like they complimented each other well. I found that she offered an artistic yet realistic touch to Daniels's life. Daniel’s relationship with his daughter was also interesting to read. He seemed to have a pretty laid-back parenting lifestyle with her which really allowed her to express and stand up for herself. 

Politics: This was another major theme in the book. What stood out most to me was Daniel’s daughter’s bravery along with the other young individuals that stood up against the corrupt Government. I really liked that they protested peacefully and didn't want any violence.  A couple of quotes from this particular theme that stood out to me were “Fear destroys people. It corrupts more than money”….. “Fear isn't a choice. There's no way to avoid feeling fear”. P. (217) another one being,  “The men who are in power have no heart. If you open up their chests all you'll find will be hundred-dollar bills. Wads and wads of banknotes.” p. (183) I think both these quotes speak volumes to the type of people that were in positions of power. 

I really liked how these 3 different aspects came together in the end. Daniel’s daughter’s bravery ultimately brought Daniel and his friends to the prison to in the end face the president and put him in his place. The power of the dreams affected all the citizens and perhaps created an awakening for its citizens. My question is what are your thoughts on the hunger strike the young adults participated in? Do you think this is an effective way to take a stance on an issue of this kind?

Comments

  1. Yasmin ahmadiApril 6, 2022 at 1:01 PM

    Hi Daisy!
    I also found it challenging to follow along the book at times because of the back and forth between characters and story line but overall, I was able to enjoy the book. I believe the hunger strike that they participated in can prove to be a call to action. To be imprisoned just for speaking up against an oppressive regime, a strike in that manner can bring light to the issue at hand!
    -Yasmin Ahmadi

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  2. Devanshi SanghaviApril 6, 2022 at 2:22 PM

    Hi! I too found the geography and politics of the book to be a bit challenging, but it was interesting nonetheless! To answer your question, I do believe that non-violent methods such as hunger trikes can be very effective in communicating powerful messages to the public. I feel like this is because it shows us how strongly people believe in certain ideals - almost to the point of complete starvation (especially with food being a basic human need).

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  3. Michael LiudengApril 6, 2022 at 6:09 PM

    Hi Daisy! To answer your question, I felt that non-violence and hunger strikes were a very effective way of protesting, but it was ultimately the growing understanding of the strike's significance that made the difference in a state like Angola in the novel. For example, Karanguiri's letter to Daniel highlighted the regime's fear of revolution, when many people like Daniel were apathetic toward change, and it was ultimately everyone's dream about Hossi that exposed it and made the country's national "dream" against corruption and toward justice a reality.

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  4. AshviApril 6, 2022 at 9:35 PM

    Hey, great post! I think hunger strikes bring attention to something in a peaceful manner. I have also heard of how moving and invested a crowd/ the public can be towards the cause of the hunger strike. It also puts the responsible people on a time crunch to act fast and to create change.

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