Bel

I wish i could speak as kindly about the violence in this book, and its presentation of racial minorities. Had it been left at Mason Verger victimising black children, i could perhaps stomach it as a point on Mason going after the most vulnerable people he possibly can, using his age, social standing and race as means to be superior and hold power over another person. However as the book continues with less than favourable representations of people of colour, that dampens the implications of Mason’s behaviour because it becomes muddled in the author’s overall brutalising of his non-white cast.

Pazzi’s sacrificing of Rromani thieves without seemingly any willingness of the text to acknowledge the implications of this is very uncomfortable and prevalent as well. I can accept depiction ≠ endorsement, and i can accept characters will, as a result, behave in ways that are unsavoury or bigoted. But i do not think it’s ever really expressed that the author understands that Pazzi is behaving with bigotry, or that the race of Romula and Gnocci do play a role in how interactions — such as pretending to pickpocket someone — might play out.

No, people will likely not assume a mother with a baby is a pickpocket, but that changes when said mother and baby are Rromani, especially in europe.

Even the non-racialised violence is incredibly uncomfortable, and though i do enjoy uncomfortable gore, there has to be some perception of purpose to it. A lot of the gore in this book so far just feels like it’s built to make you want to put the book down. I don’t find that compelling. Which sucks because Thomas Harris has done very good, and does do very good in other parts of this book, when it comes to making you feel the real discomfort and threat of physical violence. But… nah. Here’s a guy preparing a meal for pigs. Just animal meat, some fruit, a little bread. Written in a way to yuck you out but it doesnt contribute jack until the very end, and the horror doesn’t come in human-shaped meat feasts, or anything really physical.

The same impact of that scene, bar the vomit induction, could have been achieved by them being fed anything. In fact i might find it more ominous if they were having a normal meal to the soundtrack of human screams. Y’know the whole concept of forcing people to find familiarity in a scene of horror.