The Sound of Language
Page 23
I still think it's interesting that people get together even though they can't communicate very well. When my husband and I first started dating, we'd end up getting into fights because I thought he was rude. Danes are in general a little sarcastic and straightforward, which translates into English as being rude. We had to learn to talk to each other without hurting my finer feelings—we've been together now for nearly twelve years, so I guess we figured the language part out.
For Gunnar and Raihana, the communication gap is more extreme.
FV: I am a beekeeper, so a novel about beekeeping makes me very happy. I read Anna's diary with pleasure. The book actually offers lessons on beekeeping. But why beekeeping?
AM: Since the language sounded to me like the buzzing of bees, I had decided that Gunnar would be a beekeeper. It was a great help that you are a beekeeping expert; otherwise, getting information would have been very difficult.
FV: When you first told me about this idea I told you about a couple similar to Anna and Gunnar. But that woman is fortunately alive. You describe them perfectly. The man you based Gunnar on is also a skilled carpenter and the couple is passionate about beekeeping. Just like in the book, the husband loves his wife, who's smarter than he is, which also annoys him. For me these characters are very real; and their story is beautiful.
AM: Thanks, Flemming. I was quite enchanted by this couple that loved beekeeping—and it fit perfectly with who I wanted my characters to be. I already knew who Gunnar was, but your story about this beekeeping couple helped me flesh out Anna's character.
FV: Does Raihana save Gunnar from becoming an alcoholic or does Gunnar save Raihana from being caught up in her past?
AM: I think they both help each other. Raihana gives Gunnar a purpose to live because she needs him. Gunnar gives Raihana a future by teaching her a skill that could help her financially in the future. They also became friends—which is precious to both of them.
FV: Is the relationship between Gunnar and Raihana realistic or do you use it to provoke the reader?
AM: I think it is realistic. Someone like my father-in-law, Ejgil, would happily become friends with an Afghan woman without thinking anything of it. Do you think this is a provocative book? How do you feel about how immigrants are treated in Denmark?
FV: I think this is a provocative book and it brings to light an important point, as Christina, the Danish teacher, says, that the homogenous Danish society needs different skills, cultures, and perspective to grow. I think someone like Christina, who is committed to her job, will bring change and that people like Maria will realize that immigrants are just like regular Danes in what they want out of life.
But I do have a problem with one thing in the book. People like Anders and his friends are a minority; why did you feel they needed to be in your story?
AM: I meet many young people who say things like, “I'm afraid of colored men.” Racism is rampant among Danish youth and I'm not sure that boys like Anders and his friends are going to remain a minority in the not-so-distant future.
I think we need to be careful about what we say to our children and how we speak with them. The other day I was in my son's kindergarten and this little girl came and asked me, “Where do you come from?” I said that I came from home and asked her where she came from. She said she comes from “Danish land” and that I did not. It freaked me out. She was all of five. I thought, where is she picking this stuff up and what's she going to be like when she grows up?
Just a couple of years ago, seven neo-Nazi teenagers attacked a Somali family in the town of Langeskove on the island of Fyn. The family was in the house when the young men started to break the windows with bats. The family had to run with their children to a neighbor's house to avoid getting beaten up. This attack caused quite an outrage in Langeskove. I modified this incident and used it in the book.
FV: Amulya, I think this is a very good and timely book. It's interesting for me as a Dane to read about an immigrant's point of view of what's happening in Denmark.
AM: Thanks, Flemming, for all your help and support; and of course, the honey.
READING GROUP
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS
FOR DISCUSSION
What is the significance of the title The Sound of Language? How does it relate to bees?
Is the racism in the novel worse than the racism you see or hear about elsewhere?
Do you know any refugees? How are refugees treated in your country? Did the novel affect your sense of the refugee experience?
Gunnar is a retired widower who is set in his ways, yet he makes room for Raihana in his life. How does Raihana fit into Gunnar's life?
How would you characterize the reactions of Gunnar's friends and family toward Raihana and the reaction of the Afghan community toward Raihana's unusual praktik?
Anna's beekeeping diary opens each chapter. How do these entries enhance the story? What struck you most about the beekeeping practices she outlines?
The story takes place in a small town in Denmark. Did the setting remind you of anywhere in America?
Why do you think Raihana holds on to the hope that her husband is alive? What allows her to let this go? Do you think she makes the right choice?
The incident of the firebomb is based on a real attack against an immigrant family in Denmark. Can you understand the motives of the boys who firebomb Layla and Kabir's house? How would your community react to racial violence such as this?
Since 9/11, discrimination against Muslims has been increasing. In Europe, several countries are even considering banning the scarf and the burkha. What do you think about this development?
Honey plays an important part in the book and is almost a character by itself. Did the book inspire you to try different types of honey? Discuss various ways that you have eaten honey and the recipes you use it in.
What do you think of the way Denmark is depicted in the novel? Is this how you perceived Denmark to be? Did anything surprise you?
Did you think Gunnar and Raihana would become romantically involved? Would that have been a good or a bad thing?
AMULYA MALLADI was born and raised in India. She lived in the United States for several years before moving to Denmark. She now lives in Copenhagen with her husband and two sons. You can contact her at www.amulyamalladi.com.
The Sound of Language is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2008 by Amulya Malladi Reading group guide copyright © 2008 by Random House, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
BALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. RANDOM HOUSE READER'S CIRCLE and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Malladi, Amulya.
The sound of language: a novel /Amulya Malladi.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-49115-2
1. Afghans—Denmark —Fiction. I. Title. PS3613.A453S65 2008 813′.6-dc22 2007028571
www.randomhousereaderscircle.com
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