Sarah Moss’s Ghost Wallis a haunting and compact novel that explores the intersection of past and present, power and oppression. The story follows seventeen-year-old Silvie, who joins her father, a history enthusiast obsessed with Iron Age Britain, on an experimental archaeology trip in the North of England. Alongside university students and their professor, the group attempts to live as ancient Britons once did. What begins as a curious exercise in historical recreation slowly turns into something darker as Silvie’s father’s fanaticism and brutality come to light. Moss deftly weaves themes of patriarchy, class, and control into a tense and atmospheric narrative. With its lyrical prose and unsettling emotional depth, Ghost Wall examines how the ghosts of history linger in modern life and how violence—both domestic and cultural—continues to shape identity and belonging.
Sarah Moss is a British novelist and academic known for her precise prose, historical awareness, and exploration of everyday anxieties. Born in Glasgow in 1975, she studied English at Oxford University, where she later taught literature and creative writing. Her fiction often blurs the boundaries between the domestic and the political, delving into themes such as family, gender, and societal constraint. Moss’s works include Cold Earth (2009), Night Waking (2011), Bodies of Light (2014), The Tidal Zone (2016), Ghost Wall (2018), and Summerwater (2020). She has received widespread critical acclaim for her ability to combine lyrical storytelling with psychological and social insight. In addition to her novels, Moss has written nonfiction, such as Names for the Sea, recounting her experiences living in Iceland. She currently teaches creative writing and continues to be one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British fiction.
Supporting documentation for preparing the meeting
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.
