Notes, thoughts and questions...

Firstly, if any book clubs wish to select “Cortous” as part of their monthly read, I would be very happy to meet with you. Yes, location may be an issue, but email me and we can discuss it. At the very least, I would gladly participate either through answering questions by email before your meeting or perhaps through the use of technology like webcam or Internet chat.

Notes on some of the characters:

The characters of the novel are all vital to Cortous’s journey. In a sense, they all possess something that Cortous does not have –- or, perhaps, does not understand. I chose the character’s name “Mhee” for fairly obvious reasons (though the name Mhee is also quite a common name in Thailand and Laos). Mhee represents every character in the book. She is the individual, the ‘me’ that we all possess. She does not understand "failure" because she has not been corrupted by it. Cortous has to confront his fears and his self-doubt when he befriends her. It’s almost like he’s racing against time when he meets her.

What role do the twins play in the book? I’ve had a lot of debate with readers about the twins. They bring controversy to the story. Why? Without providing too many of my own thoughts (and potentially spoiling your own interpretation), I will say that as a man, twins are the embodiment of a lot of things – especially beautiful twins. I was very conscious of the sexual fantasy element associated with Cortous’s friendship with Kanita and Nantika. At times (perhaps) the story teeters on the margin of uncertainty as to how it will all progress between the three of them. The duality of identical twins makes for a fascinating compare/contrast to the duality of Cortous’s personality. He fears losing the twins for what they will take with them is ‘historical" and cannot be returned. In life many of us have suffered loss or faced the tough reality of not being able to “get something back”. Cortous confronts this on his journey – particularly with the twins. What is the significance of Cortous’s experience with the twins? What do they teach him? What do they represent? What does their sister represent?

Carrie Coles can either be a very likeable character or a very dislikeable one (I’ve heard a lot of both). Her strong, determined personality doesn’t really do very well with compromise. She’s uncompromising to herself – but she’s also very confused. Does the news of her life at the end seem surprising? Why would she choose this for herself? Will she be happy?

What does Richard Fox-Jones represent? How is Mei Ling important to the story? How is Alice important to the story? What influence does Mr. Sim play beyond just as Cortous’s boss?

Once again, I very much enjoy discussing characters of the story. Email me with your questions and comments.

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