r/bookclub • u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin • Sep 01 '26
Trinidad & Tobago - Hungry Ghosts [Discussion 2/4] Read the World | Trinidad and Tobago | Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein | II A Small Sacrifice - Ch16 A Magic Word
Hello fellow Read the World travellers! Welcome to Trinidad and Tobago and the second discussion of Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein. Today we are discussing from II A Small Sacrifice - Ch16 A Magic Word. Next week u/Coffee_fuel will lead us through Ch17 A Tiny Leaf Above Us - Ch24 A Big Stone.
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Discussion questions are in the comments, but feel free to add your own!
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
How did the soldiers treat the locals?
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u/psycho4icecream Will Read Anything Sep 01 '26
w open contempt imo they wanted everyone to feel their power and control over the island. didn't the narrator say at some point that harming an American was equivalent to harming God?
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u/Coffee_fuel 📚Bookclub Boffin📚 Sep 03 '26
They were small people on a power trip, who have found a smaller guy they can abuse without fear of punishment.
With the exception (perhaps) among those we met, of the one who was married to the original Marlee.
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u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted Sep 04 '26
They were frustrated men thrown into war, often too young, that missed their lives and girlfriends/wives back at home. They're also told how about how brave they are for fighting and back at home given parades and days to celebrate that bravery. Doesn't excuse the treatment, but does explain why they see these women as nothing but living amenities. They have entitlement issues and a god complex whenever they travel to poorer countries filled with desperate women who want to live a better life.
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u/tomesandtea Viceroy of Verity | 🐉🧠 Sep 05 '26
Not really as people, at least not equal to them. It felt pretty clear they were doing/getting what they wanted, regardless of the impact on the locals.
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
We learn of Marlee and Dalton's back stories, how did their relationship develop?
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u/psycho4icecream Will Read Anything Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
knowing Marlee started out working at a brothel and was only saved by a much older man who 'liked' her but saw her as more of a possession j changes how i view her, i thought she had a bit of an entitlement in her attitude but ig we see now that it's all a bit of a front and j meant to protect her
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
And it's also attitudes that were encouraged in her.
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u/Coffee_fuel 📚Bookclub Boffin📚 Sep 03 '26 edited Sep 03 '26
I thought the early chapters had sort of implied that Marlee had been a prostitute, or dance girl or something along those lines, and that Dalton had perhaps been one of her customers—so I was surprised by how innocent the entire thing was at the beginning, how young and inexperienced she still was when she hid inside his car. He took barely any initiative. She came to him and he just went along with it (but then molded her to be exactly the way he wanted). We don't even know her real name (I wonder if she ever gave it him when he helped forge her documents, or she kept it for herself?). It also puts in a clearer light how and why she would be so tempted to finally have some kind of positive sexual experience, and why she seems to think lightly of seeking it with a married man.
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u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted Sep 04 '26
I think he has a savior complex. It seems like he tried to be a good guy, but whatever was going on with his mental health prevented him from staying a good guy. We saw that with the children. He built an area for them to be able to play in, but then he had an episode and he hallucinated seeing the devil in one of them ruining whatever good intentions he thought he had. I think he saw Marlee as something he could save, but his hallucinations of his mother in the painting ruined him being any kind of good husband.
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u/fixtheblue Read, ergo sum | 🐫🐉🥈||🧠🥈 Sep 13 '26
This was really interesting to learn. I guess I knew the power balance lay with Dalton, but now we can see the exact dynamics. He not only gave her a completely different life he chose how she should behave and present herself. Dalton is all about appearances and Marlee fits nicely into the image he wants to portray to the world. Her circumstances made her easily pliable into this role.
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
What kind of difficulties does Hans have in buying a property? What insights into life in Trinidad and Tobago does this give us?
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u/psycho4icecream Will Read Anything Sep 01 '26
he's getting inflated asking prices from sellers cuz they don't want a Hindu owning their property. i think it j shows how divided the society in Trinidad is, Christianity holds the real economic power and everyone else is j kinda expected to stay in their lane
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
Yes, we are seeing a religious and class divide.
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u/nicehotcupoftea World Reader Leader | 🎃🧠🥇 Sep 02 '26
He's viewed as Hindu and lower class than the Christians, just the same old story of racism.
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u/Coffee_fuel 📚Bookclub Boffin📚 Sep 03 '26
‘Aint a bad idea. A bunch of barrack coolies start moving in, it drives the property value down, I suppose. I don’t mean you, of course. I know you one of the good ones.’
Yes, you can see it even with Robinson, who seems to be one of the kindest characters in this and faces racism himself due to his skin color—yet still says things like this to Hans.
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u/tomesandtea Viceroy of Verity | 🐉🧠 Sep 05 '26
This part really made me sad. It seems like humanity just can't escape the awful cycle of racism and trying to elevate your own group by holding down another. Same pattern everywhere and every time, unfortunately.
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
What are Krishna's hopes for the future? Do you think he has a chance with Lata?
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u/psycho4icecream Will Read Anything Sep 01 '26
nope dont think he stands much of a chance anymore, he wouldn't meaningfully improve her situation, and she's made it pretty clear she needs to cast a wider net to find wealthier prospects if she wants to escape poverty through marriage
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u/nicehotcupoftea World Reader Leader | 🎃🧠🥇 Sep 02 '26
I don't think he has any chance with Lata, she has her hopes pinned much higher.
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u/Coffee_fuel 📚Bookclub Boffin📚 Sep 03 '26
Even if everything went smoothly and Krishna did well at school, I imagine that it would take him a while to finish his education, learn a profession/find a job. I imagine that Lata would be trying to get married younger.
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u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted Sep 04 '26
Agreed, she's going to want to get married as soon as she can to leave the barracks. Doesn't matter what economic standing Lata is from, she would always be trying to marry a man who has higher status than herself because that's how women survived. Not just in Trinidad and Tobago, but in most societies that view women as lesser than.
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u/tomesandtea Viceroy of Verity | 🐉🧠 Sep 05 '26
Good point - she won't be waiting around for him to get his life started, she will be looking for a fast exit to a situation she hopes is better than the barracks. I'm getting the feeling it won't be better...
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u/fixtheblue Read, ergo sum | 🐫🐉🥈||🧠🥈 Sep 13 '26
Tbh even if she wasn't aiming to escape the baracks by marriage I don't really see them together. I feel like he is infatuated with her ina hormonal teenager-y way, but she sees him more like a brother.
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
Lata has her sights set on Dylan, do you think her hopes of marrying up are likely to actually happen?
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u/psycho4icecream Will Read Anything Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
highly unlikely imo, Dylan defends her as sweet but he's also already shown how easily he folds under peer pressure, he even tossed the bracelet in the river j because his friends pushed him to. i rlly doubt he's gonna be able to withstand the social pressure to marry a 'proper' girl instead
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u/nicehotcupoftea World Reader Leader | 🎃🧠🥇 Sep 02 '26
No, but I wouldn't rule out that he makes her pregnant.
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u/Coffee_fuel 📚Bookclub Boffin📚 Sep 03 '26
Eh... Maybe he will go along with it (though it doesn't seem very likely, unless we experience a time jump) or maybe he will toy with her a little; but the way he talked about barrack girls being "grateful" and barely defended her doesn't fill me with confidence that it will go well for Lata. He seems very casual about it. I'm worried something terrible is going to happen to her. To most of the characters, really. This novel is filling me with anxiety, haha. 😬
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u/Jinebiebe Team Overcommitted Sep 04 '26
Yeah, at first I thought maybe he wasn't as bad as his brother or friends, but by the end of the chapter all hope was lost.
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
How are Krishna and Hans views of education different?
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u/nicehotcupoftea World Reader Leader | 🎃🧠🥇 Sep 02 '26
Hans views education as a path out of poverty, and is willing to compromise his religious beliefs. Krishna rejects the forced assimilation and suffers from bullying, being the only barracks kid - he really can't see any positives.
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u/tomesandtea Viceroy of Verity | 🐉🧠 Sep 05 '26
Well said! It's interesting to see the shift in perspective due to age/experience, but also because Hans never got this opportunity and so he may be romanticizing it whereas Krishna has to live it!
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u/fixtheblue Read, ergo sum | 🐫🐉🥈||🧠🥈 Sep 13 '26
Krishna is living in the 'now' of it and hates it. Hans is looking at the big picture (and is probably somewhat idealising the experience of it), and sees that it will open doors and give Krishna opportunities he himself never had.
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
What are Dylan and his friends attitudes towards women?
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u/psycho4icecream Will Read Anything Sep 01 '26
absolutely vile, they reduce Lata's background to crude stereotypes they hv about her sexual activity, joking that women like her have bodies that are 'too loose to hold a cricket ball' wtf...
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u/nicehotcupoftea World Reader Leader | 🎃🧠🥇 Sep 02 '26
Pretty awful. Let's hope that individually they're not as vile.
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u/tomesandtea Viceroy of Verity | 🐉🧠 Sep 05 '26
Reprehensible! It was so hard to listen to this part. Just casually cruel, as if it's a joke and they are not thinking of how it would feel for the women to hear this about themselves.
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
There is lots of speculation about Dalton and Marlee, What's your take on it? Will they or won't they?
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u/nicehotcupoftea World Reader Leader | 🎃🧠🥇 Sep 02 '26
I think he's weak, and she is a strong temptress.
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u/tomesandtea Viceroy of Verity | 🐉🧠 Sep 05 '26
I'm leaning towards they will ... But given the attitude towards women and the way rumors spread, I could also see them not doing anything but everyone assuming that's what is happening and acting accordingly.
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
Is there anything else you would like to discuss?
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u/psycho4icecream Will Read Anything Sep 01 '26
maybe someone else understood it better but what was the significance of Krishna to keep going to visit his dad or leave him gifts like mangoes but then to run away? like i dont get why he keeps going back there
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u/nicehotcupoftea World Reader Leader | 🎃🧠🥇 Sep 02 '26
Was he suspicious of what was going on? Does he feel uncomfortable around the homestead?
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u/Coffee_fuel 📚Bookclub Boffin📚 Sep 03 '26 edited Sep 03 '26
He's feeling insecure after hearing Hans refer to him as a bastard child, and he's starting to perceive how Hans is emotionally distancing himself. He noticed the little behaviors that show how his attitude is changing. So Krishna is trying to reach out and reconnect with him. He was scolded for his own actions, feels a little sorry, and appreciates everything Hans has been doing for their family. He also appears to have never spent a single night away from home, and Krishna notices how jarring that is for both himself and his mom—but not for Hans.
So when Krishna sees how much his father and Marlee seem to be enjoying themselves together, it feels like he's seeing this new side of his father he never had before, further proof that there's something wrong. And it scares him. I think!
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u/Coffee_fuel 📚Bookclub Boffin📚 Sep 03 '26
I haven't used the dictionary so often in a long while. It's kind of a sobering thought.
We got so much more into the heads of each character in this one! I particularly enjoyed Krishna and Shweta's POVs.
Also, I'm beginning to believe that even the twins' father was at least partially being maligned. The police are too corrupt.
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u/fixtheblue Read, ergo sum | 🐫🐉🥈||🧠🥈 Sep 13 '26
After learning the awful state of the homested i was sure Hans would be staying in the main house! I know he said he was tired and that's why he didn't walk home in the morning, but I feel like that was really insensitive. Hans is no stramger to grafting and discomfort so it felt somewhat out of character. I think Shweta will really struggle with their failed intimacy on top of Hans being away every night and the rumours
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
Why did the deputy superintendent treat Hans and his family the way he did? What do you think could have happened if there had not have been intervention from above?
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u/tomesandtea Viceroy of Verity | 🐉🧠 Sep 05 '26
Power trip! This was actually terrifying because they could absolutely have been put in jail, fined so much they'd never pay it, or even physically harmed. Just because they're stressed parents whose emotions caused friction in an official interaction. The feeling that their lives were hanging in the balance all of a sudden when they really did nothing ... It made me think of how in the US, we have this problem of minor traffic stops and other simple interactions with police sometimes go so badly so fast (because of the officers' assumptions and power imbalance, etc) that a BIPOC individual is killed. Not always, but the fact that it happens at all is so deeply wrong!
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u/fixtheblue Read, ergo sum | 🐫🐉🥈||🧠🥈 Sep 13 '26
Power trip and racism. I was really scared for Shweta and Hans here. Hans is really good at de-escalating, but Shweta and Krishna are, understandably, not. If Marlee had not called I could see them all spending the night in jail with more bruises than just Krishna's black eye. It was unsurprising to me that the kid who thought to even try and drown a dog is that cop's son.
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u/bluebelle236 One More Chapter... One More Spin Sep 01 '26
What impact did the arrival of American soldiers have on the woman of Trinidad and Tobago?