The Slap

Again, I'm way behind the curve. Most of the world has read The Slap, and have debated the issues raised in this book, but here I am, at least a year later, with my modest opinions!

It's a great read. Even as someone who doesn't have children, I found myself passionate about the question of whether or not it was right for that man to slap someone else's child at a party. And like most readers, I found my views evolving as I got to know the characters, whose voices became heard bit by bit. The child was impossible, yes, but then you get to know his overprotective and righteous mother and his alcoholic father, and you think, well, it's not the child that needed a slap. The man who slapped him is someone's husband, father, cousin, nephew, a rich businessman. But he is far from the perfect man that his family knows and loves. But then, even the perfect wives we meet at first have secrets of their own.

The action is set in Melbourne. The author, Christos Tsiolkas, is an Australian of Greek origin, and some of the core characters in the story are 1st and 2nd generation Greeks. I don't really know much about Australian society, so I found it fascinating to observe the interaction between the many cultures represented by the various characters.

Now, I have to say that for the first few pages, I got really confused as to who was who. Which one was Harry? And what about Gary? Was he Greek or Australian? Father of the child or Slapper of the child? Prosperous businessman with a nice house and a nice wife, or a struggling artist who drinks too much and doesn't paint enough? There are a lot of characters in this story, but thankfully, each chapter after the first one focuses on one person, so you do get to know them pretty quickly.

PS: If you want more intellectual book reviews, check out this blog.

I'm so far behind that I even missed the series it on the BBC! -