After devouring Swimming in Paris, I was craving a lighter read and stumbled upon The Ocean Between Us by Gill Thompson. I expected something breezy, but the story’s nuanced characters and moving themes of separation and resilience added an unexpected emotional depth that truly surprised me.
The novel revolves around a lost generation of children shipped from England to Australia after World War II. The narrative follows Jack, a young orphan who loses his mother during the Blitz, is placed in an orphanage, and is eventually transported to Australia. Meanwhile, an unknown woman suffering from memory loss wakes up in a hospital, searching for something deeply meaningful to her.
One of the novel’s most powerful themes is the destruction and rupture of family life. Thompson also exposes the heartless government policy of sending orphans abroad to “repopulate” countries like Australia with so-called “pure white blood.” The care of these children was entrusted to religious orders that, instead of nurturing them, subjected them to sexual abuse and forced labor. Finally, the story explores the profound grief that follows loss—and the painful, often incomplete process of acceptance.
Gill Thompson draws on real historical events to craft a narrative that leaves a lasting impression. She delves into the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and love in all its forms, while shedding light on the harrowing experiences of English orphaned children abused by the Christian Brothers in Bindoon, Australia. Thompson also condemns the Australian government’s long-standing inaction, which allowed these atrocities to continue unchecked for years.
The Ocean Between Us is a deeply affecting and beautifully written novel that confronts a dark chapter of history with honesty and compassion. It’s a story of loss and injustice, but also of endurance, hope, and the unbreakable strength of the human spirit.
This story follows a young girl's perspective as her parents host Mr. Pirzada, a Pakistani man, in their home during the tumultuous time of the India-Pakistan war. It explores themes of displacement, cultural identity, and the impact of political conflicts on personal lives.
What historical context is to be taken into account for a better understanding of the story?
When Britain granted India independence, 75 years ago, the territory it had ruled over was divided, or partitioned, into India and the new state of Pakistan (with East Pakistan later becoming Bangladesh).
The India-Pakistan conflict has been one of the most enduring and volatile issues in the modern world. This conflict has its roots in the partition of India in 1947, which created two independent nations, India and Pakistan. Since then, the two countries have engaged in multiple wars and border disputes, resulting in a complex and dynamic history.
This created an upsurge of violence, in which approximately 15 million people were displaced and an estimated one million died.
India and Pakistan have remained rivals ever since.
The story we are reading this month is included in the book “The interpreter of maladies”,A collection of hort stories that explores the lives of Indian immigrants and their struggles to navigate between their heritage and their new identities in America.
The stories in "Interpreter of Maladies" often revolve around the theme of communication, highlighting the ways in which people struggle to express themselves, understand others, and bridge cultural and emotional divides. The narratives shed light on the profound impact of both verbal and nonverbal communication on relationships and human connection.
Lahiri's stories poignantly explore the challenges and complexities of cultural identity and displacement, portraying characters who grapple with the tension between their heritage and their adopted homes. The narratives offer profound insights into the ways in which individuals navigate their sense of belonging in the face of cultural dislocation.
Under British rule, the city saw the introduction of electricity, railways, cinemas, Western-style universities and colleges, and a modern water supply. It became an important administrative and educational centre in the British Raj, as the capital of Eastern Bengal and Assam province after 1905.[29] In 1947, after the end of British rule, the city became the administrative capital of East Pakistan. It was declared the legislative capital of Pakistan in 1962. In 1971, the Pakistan Army, backed by Islamists, created radical religious militias. Members of the Pakistani military and supporting militias engaged in mass murder, deportation and genocidal rape, pursuing a
systematic campaign of annihilation against nationalist Bengali civilians, students, intelligentsia, religious minorities and armed personnel. The capital, Dhaka, was the scene of numerous massacres, including the Dhaka University massacre. An estimated 10 million Bengali refugees fled to neighbouring India, while 30 million were internally displaced. India decided to take part in the conflict. Pakistan surrendered in Dhaka on 16 December 1971, in what remains to date the largest surrender of armed personnel since the Second World War, Dacca became the capital of an independent Bangladesh and is now the second most populated megacity only after Calcuta.
3. We see how the TV coverage of the Indian-Pakistan conflict is depicted along the development of the story? Can you comment on it?
Page 34: “As weeks passed it grew more and more rare to see any footage from Dacca on the news.”
Is it similar or different from how these violent wars are reflected in the news presently?
4. To your view, to what extent does Mr Pirzada seem concerned about his city Dacca, and his wife and daughters’ well being?
5. Can you comment on Lilia’s habits as a family?
6. Lilia, Mr Pizarda, Lilia’s parents… Can you give your opinion on how they influence each other’s lives?
7. We know that Mr Pirzada is a Muslim, what about Lilia’s parents? What jobs do they have? Do both of them work?
Swastika Night by Katharine BURDEKIN (written under the pseudonym Murray CONSTANTINE) If it had been written after 1945, it would have been an alternative story, but K. BURDEKIN wrote this novel in 1937, so we’re dealing with a dystopia. Seeing the rise of Nazism and the threat of a world war, she imagines that Germany wins and extends this deadly ideology to half of the world, the other half being conquered by a fascist Japan. At the contrary of others stories of this kind, the novelist does not give the priority to action, but to description and reflection. A narration set between George ORWELL’S 1984 and Margaret ATWOOD’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
Swastika Night, written by Katharine Burdekin under the pseudonym Murray Constantine in 1937, is a powerful dystopian novel that imagines a world where Nazi ideology has triumphed and become the foundation of global society. Set seven centuries into the future, the book depicts a world in which Adolf Hitler is worshipped as a god and women are reduced to powerless, subservient roles. Burdekin’s narrative anticipates themes later explored by George Orwell in 1984, particularly the manipulation of history and the erasure of truth. What makes Swastika Night remarkable is not only its early criticism of fascism but also its sharp feminist perspective, which exposes the destructive consequences of patriarchy and authoritarianism. The novel challenges readers to reflect on the fragility of democracy and the dangers of unchecked ideology. Today, it remains a significant and unsettling warning about the consequences of totalitarian thought and the silencing of individual freedom.
Katharine Burdekin (1896–1963) was a British novelist best known for her groundbreaking dystopian and feminist works. Born in Derbyshire, England, she was educated at Cheltenham Ladies’ College but largely developed her literary voice outside academic institutions. During the 1920s and 1930s, she published several novels, often exploring themes of gender, power, and politics. Her most famous work, Swastika Night (1937), was released under the male pseudonym Murray Constantine to protect her identity and to give her critiques of fascism greater authority in a male-dominated literary world. Burdekin’s writing was ahead of its time, addressing issues of totalitarianism, the manipulation of history, and the systemic oppression of women. Although much of her work went unrecognized during her lifetime, modern scholarship has rediscovered her contributions to feminist and speculative fiction. Today, Katharine Burdekin is remembered as a visionary writer who dared to imagine dark futures in order to challenge the injustices of her present.
• 📅 Born: c. 672/673, Northumbria – Died: 26 May 735, Jarrow.
• ⭐ Anglo-Saxon monk, historian, and theologian.
• 📌 Author of "Ecclesiastical History of the English People," a key work for understanding the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. He was a scholar of chronology and biblical commentary. He spent his life in the monasteries of Wearmouth and Jarrow. Doctor of the Church (1899).
• ⭐ Daughter of Henry I, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, and claimant to the English throne.
• 📌 Protagonist of the civil war known as The Anarchy against her cousin Stephen. She was proclaimed Lady of the English but never crowned. Mother of Henry II, the first Plantagenet king. A central figure in medieval English succession.
Links:
England's Uncrowned Queen | Mother Of The Plantagenet Dynasty | The Formidable Empress Matilda
• 📌 Author of "The Canterbury Tales," considered the foundational work of English literature in the vernacular language. He traveled to Italy and France on diplomatic missions and absorbed literary influences. Buried in Westminster Abbey, inaugurating "Poets' Corner."
• 📅 Born: c. 1527 (probably Mauritania) – Active until after 1548.
• ⭐ African salvage diver in Tudor England.
• 📌 Led the recovery of treasures from Henry VIII's Mary Rose. First known African person to testify in an English court. Although accused of being a slave, he received a salary and was recognized as free to testify.
•ðŸ“… Born: September 7, 1533 – Died: March 24, 1603
•⭐ Queen of England and Ireland (1558-1603)
•ðŸ“Œ Last Tudor monarch. Her reign saw a flourishing of the arts (Shakespeare, Elizabethan theater), maritime expansion (Drake, Raleigh), and the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588). Known as "the Virgin Queen." She consolidated the English Protestant identity.
•⭐ Court dwarf of Queen Henrietta Maria (wife of Charles I)
•ðŸ“Œ Presented at a banquet inside a cake, he became a court celebrity. He participated in the English Civil War. After a duel in France, he was exiled. His life reflects the excesses, spectacles, and hierarchies of the court.
•ðŸ“… Born: 1722, South Uist, Scotland – Died: March 5, 1790
•⭐ Jacobite heroine
•ðŸ“Œ Helped "Bonnie Prince Charlie" escape after the defeat at Culloden (1746), disguising him as a servant. An iconic figure of Scottish courage, celebrated in popular memory and the Jacobite cause.
•ðŸ“… Born: September 29, 1758 – Died: October 21, 1805, Battle of Trafalgar
•⭐ British admiral, naval hero
•ðŸ“Œ Victorious in decisive battles of the Napoleonic Wars. He lost an arm and partial vision in one eye in combat. At Trafalgar, he defeated the Franco-Spanish fleet, securing British naval supremacy. He died in action, becoming a national hero.
•ðŸ“… Born: October 25, 1784 – Died: October 2, 1850.
•⭐ Miniature painter.
•ðŸ“Œ Born without functional arms or legs (phocomelia). She learned to paint with her mouth and shoulder. Exhibited at fairs as “the child without limbs,” she later received patronage from the nobility. She exhibited at the Royal Academy. Her art challenged prejudices about disability.
•ðŸ“Œ Discovered key fossils (ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs) on the cliffs of Lyme Regis. Contributed to the nascent field of paleontology, though without formal recognition during her lifetime due to being a woman and of humble origins. Today she is an icon of science.
•ðŸ“… Born: April 9, 1806 – Died: September 15, 1859.
•⭐ Civil engineer and inventor.
•ðŸ“Œ Designed innovative bridges, tunnels, railways, and ships. Among his achievements: the Great Western Railway, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and the first iron steam-powered transatlantic ships. An emblematic figure of the British Industrial Revolution.
•ðŸ“… Born: August 16, 1864 – Died: November 26, 1917.
•⭐ Doctor, suffragist, and philanthropist.
•ðŸ“Œ Founded hospitals for women and led women's medical units during World War I, providing care in Serbia and Russia. A pioneer in opening opportunities for women in medicine.
Links:
Who was Elsie Inglis? Scotland's trailblazers, legends, creators and innovators
•ðŸ“Œ An aristocrat, lover of Virginia Woolf (who was inspired by her to write Orlando). She published poetry and novels and was famous as a garden designer, especially of Sissinghurst Castle Garden. An icon of creative and sexual freedom in her time.
•ðŸ“… Born: November 29, 1898 – Died: November 22, 1963.
•⭐ Writer, academic, Christian apologist.
•ðŸ“Œ Author of The Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity. Professor at Oxford and Cambridge. His work combines fantasy, theology, and literary criticism. His childhood nickname was “Jack,” which he used throughout his life.
•ðŸ“Œ Her X-ray diffraction images (Photo 51) allowed Watson and Crick to deduce the double helix structure of DNA. She also researched viruses and coal. She died young from cancer. Today she is recognized as a pioneering scientist and a victim of gender bias in science.
Profession/importance: Welsh actor of stage and film, famous for his powerful baritone voice and his intense performances—especially in Shakespeare and in dramatic film roles. He was one of the great British stars of the 20th century.
Notable Films and Roles: His film debut was in The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949); memorable performances in My Cousin Rachel (1952), Becket (1964), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), Cleopatra (1963), Where Eagles Dare (1968), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), and Equus (1977).
Wikipedia
Awards and Recognition: He was nominated for an Academy Award several times (seven nominations throughout his career) but never won; he did receive other awards (BAFTA, Golden Globe, Tony, etc.).
• 📅
Born: April 8, 1941 – Died: December 29, 2022
• ⭐
British fashion designer
• 📌 A key figure
in punk and alternative fashion of the 70s. She popularized the rebellious
aesthetic, associated with the Sex Pistols. She founded her own brand,
influencing decades of fashion design. Political and environmental activist.
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