Reading: Figueras, Kamchatka, pp. 74-154, Ch. 25-45

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Marcelo Figueras, Kamchatka (2003/2010)

 

  1. Second Period: Geography, pp. 55-128

 

  1. When Harry discovers the book about Houdini, it provides not only a pseudonym but a mission. Harry is constantly reminding others that Houdini was not a magician, but an escape artist. What does Harry see as the difference?
  2. Harry and the Midget entertain themselves for most of the time they are at the quinta. What roles do games and fantasy play in the boys’ lives? Are their games different than those of other children?
  3. How is Harry introduced to religion? What is his understanding of it? How is the Midget’s relationship to religion different?
  4. Discuss the presence of the toads in the backyard pool. Why do Harry and the Midget build their “reverse diving board”? What do they hope to achieve? Are they successful? What do you think the toads represent in the novel?
  5. Comment on the epigraph to Section Two.
  6. Kamchatka is mostly told from a child’s point of view, but occasionally we get information from the narrator at a later time. Find one of these examples and explain what we learn and why the author has chosen to tell the story this way.
  7. When we meet Harry’s maternal grandmother, she’s not a very likable figure. Later, though, he says, “My grandmother says that mamá saved her life” (p. 119). What does he mean?
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