Book of the Week

Nation by Terry Pratchett
Recommended by Raphael Dembo-Shah

Nation, by Terry Pratchett, offers a unique glimpse into the mind of the isolated islanders living in the southern Pacific Ocean. It also shows the impact colonialism has on their thoughts because the protagonist is an islander, into whose mind we are able to peer. I would definitely recommend this book because I find this novel to be more philosophical, thought-provoking and intriguing than the other Terry Pratchett books, albeit slightly less humorous.

The plot of Nation has parallels with that of Robinson Crusoe. Both books are about rebuilding their lives from losing everything, then suddenly finding aid from a foreign stranger (in the form of Man Friday in Robinson Crusoe and Ermintrude (Daphne) in Nation). But I believe, in addition, that Nation highlights our arrogance as the western world. For example, in the book, the colonialists (representing the western world), didn’t believe it was possible for such a small island nation to have such an advanced culture and knowledge of the universe.

The plot of Nation is summarised as follows. Russian Influenza has killed the king and all his heirs save one, and the daughter of this heir is Ermintrude (Daphne). On the other side of the world in the South Pacific, Mau has been sent to Boy Island to leave his ‘boy soul’ there and return as a man. After having built his canoe, he attempts to row back to ‘The Nation’. However, he encounters a tsunami on the way back and arrives at the nation to find everyone who was in the village, who were supposed to be waiting on the beach for him, dead, with most of the village levelled. As Mau struggles to rise up to his new self-proclaimed post of chief, Daphne is shipwrecked on The Nation and from then on it is a story of them and their contrasting cultures and characters working together to rebuild the nation to its full glory.

I find this type of story utterly enthralling because of the utter unpredictability of the plot, from the tsunami to the cannibals. The plot makes you consider the infinite possibilities, one of which could end up as this alternate reality. But I believe that it is not the plot that makes this book worth reading, but the characters, although the plot does make you consider the infinite possibilities, one of which could end up as this alternate reality.

I think Pratchett makes us sympathise with the characters. For Mau, we feel for his ignorance and, more importantly, the sudden pressure forced upon him in becoming chief so unexpectedly. The island ideology that he possesses adds complexity to his character. His innocence makes him even more likeable, in stark contrast to the rebelliousness of Daphne (Ermintrude), which brings a mischievous tinge to her character. This, in conjunction with her eloquent British manners, makes for an entertaining read, lighting up the sombre plot. Mau and Daphne both represent their different, diverse cultures. In doing so, they caricature their respective societies.

However, as customary in all Terry Pratchett books, there are some amusing characters. From Mau’s side of the world, the grandfathers, who constantly haunt and harass Mau to replace the ‘God Anchors’ lest the gods float away, are portrayed as nagging, lazy, drunk ghosts. The grandmother ghosts reflect the typical comical relationship where the wife is constantly scolding her husband for his laziness. Next is one of the elders, ceremoniously dubbed Mrs Gurgle (she has no teeth). Her name alone is entertaining, but given the fact Daphne chews her food for her, and she has a passion for firing cannons, she is, at times, the most entertaining character in the book. Pilu is the most talkative character in the book. He is my favourite due to his childish innocence and his relentless onslaught of words. He finds a way of exaggerating every story that comes to mind. The contrast between him and his huge, taciturn brother is amusing.

From the British perspective comes Daphne’s grandmother. She is fixated on Daphne being ladylike and having good manners. Throughout her whole childhood, Daphne was plagued by her morbid presence. She tries to maintain control over the royal family but is forcefully put down by her son, now King. Cook (the cook from Daphne’s ship) is also amusing as he has built himself a floating coffin. It contains ‘rows of pockets that held ship’s biscuits, dried fruit, fishhooks (and fishing line), a compass, charts, and a wonderful device for distilling drinking water from the sea. It was a tiny floating world.’ It also contains a shroud in case he really did die. He uses this slightly strange contraption to save himself from the tsunami.

I think the fact that Terry Pratchett uses the 3rd person is positive as it enables the book to hop around from place to place, which gives us some background to the actions of the characters. He still displays the thoughts of the protagonists, which still results in us being immersed in the story. Pratchett also uses symbolism extensively - for example, the sunset wave initially is the symbol of manhood and it then changs to the sunrise wave by Mau in order to symbolise new beginnings after the tsunami.

I believe that some of Terry Pratchett’s analogies invite us to look at the world in a different way. Examples include the analogy ‘He’d be like mihei gawi, the little blue hermit crab, scuttling from his shell to a new one once a year, easy prey for any passing squid.’. Another example of some of the great philosophies is Mau’s Philosophy ‘Does not happen!’. This is often spoken when Mau is facing death. Also, the way in which the islanders look at Gods is quite thought provoking, as their opinions differ. Mau looks at them like demons and accuses the gods for causing the tsunami and what seemed to be the demise of The Nation and the deaths of all of its inhabitants. When he talks to Locaha, the god of the underworld, you can sense the utter hatred in his voice. On the other hand, Ataba, the priest, perceives them as too high a level for us to understand but believes all their actions are justified. He resists any challenge to his traditional beliefs and will not accept the fact that any new gods exist.

There is a slight hint of irony in the fact that Daphne, who comes from a civilised culture, becomes uncivilised (she spits in beer and murders someone). Mau, however, previously uncivilised, becomes civilised (he begins to wear trousers and questions his tribal legends). I believe this demonstrates that, regardless of background, humans are, in essence, humans and that nationality is an artificial construct of humans, nothing more.

Lastly, I believe the imagery in this book is beautiful but sometimes macabre. For example, whilst describing the tsunami Pratchett remarks that ‘it was moving very fast, dragging black night behind it’. This bears connotations of the impending doom when the tsunami strikes. Black also has connotations of death.

So, in summary, I would recommend this book, not for its plot, but for its wide array of personalities and cultures. Terry Pratchett does not just highlight how the stark contrast between colonialists and islanders are artificial but exemplifies it. Under the same conditions, these superficial divisions dissolve and the real divisions of character prevail. There are those who are courageous, snooty, mischievous or talkative, not those who are British, French or primitive.