TheLastKestrel Areadinggroupguide

INTRODUCTION InJillMcGiveringsdeeplymovingandprovocativenovelTheLastKestrel,twoverystrongwomen fromtwoverydifferentculturesarebroughttogetherwithoneunifyingcause:survival. EllenThomas,experiencedwarcorrespondent,returnstoAfghanistansdangerousHelmand Provinceinthehopethatshewilluncoverthemysteriousdeathofherfriendandtranslator,Jalil. Sherefusestobelievethathewascollaboratingwithenemyforcesandsoonrealizesthatinthis ravagedland,theonlypersonshecantrustisherself. Hasina,traditionalAfghanwifeandmother,livesinavillagewhichistakenbyBritishForces.Her onlyson,Aref,hasbeenbrainwashedintothinkingthathemustbecomeasuicidebomberinorder tobringhonourtohisfamily.Hasinaisdeterminedtoprotecthimatallcostsandwillnotletanyone getinherwayoftrying. EXTRACT Itsnotperfect,hesaid.Hisvoicewaslow,asifheweresharingasecret.Hespokerapidly. Shehadtostrainforwardtohear.Progressisslow.Butletmetellyouthis.Hestabbedtheairwith aslow,deliberatefinger.EverytimetheTalibanblowsupabusorbombsamarket,people rememberalloveragainwhatanimalstheyreallyare.Andtheyturnalittlemoreagainstthemand towardsus.Intheend,thatshowwellwinthisthing. Hiseyesweresoclosetohers,hispupilssolarge,shesawherselfreflectedinthem,atiny distantfigure,herfacedistortedintobulgingfeatures.Hisgazewasresolute.Shelookedabruptly away. Win?Sheshookherhead.Militarythinking.Hewasamanwhomeasuredsuccessinbombs andbullets.Shespokealmosttoherself.Thisisntaboutvictory.NotforAfghans.Itsabout survival. ABOUTTHEAUTHOR JillMcGiveringhasworkedinjournalismfor25years.Sheiscurrentlyaseniorforeignnews correspondentwiththeBBChavingpreviouslyheldthepositionofSouthAsiaCorrespondent(based inDehli).NowbasedinLondon,shetravelsextensivelyfortheBBCincludingassignmentsto AfghanistanandChina.Shehasalreadywrittennonfiction,shortfictionandplays.TheLastKestrelis herfirstnovel.

 ACONVERSATIONWITHTHEAUTHOR 1.TheLastKestrelisyourfirstnovelwhatpromptedyoutowriteit? TheLastKestrelwasinspiredbyareallifeincidentthatIwitnessedwhenIwasembeddedwith BritishtroopsinHelmand,SouthernAfghanistan,fortheBBC.Thetroopslaunchedanoffensiveinto anareacontrolledbytheTaliban.AsIadvancedwiththem,Ifoundoutthatoneofthebombshad fallenonafamilyhomeandkilledafamilyofsix,includingchildren.Iwashauntedbytheincident.I wantedtoknowwherethevillagersloyaltieslayandwhythefamilyhadntfledwhenthefighting started.IneverfoundactualanswersbutthequestionseventuallyledtoTheLastKestrel. 2.WhydidyouchoosethetitleTheLastKestrel? ItsaphrasetakenfromamovingpoembythefirstworldwarpoetEdmundBlundenaboutthe impactofconflictoncivilians.Therelevantstanzaisreprintedatthefrontofthenovel.Although thatwarisverydifferentfromthecurrentAfghanwar,thepoemcapturedthemainthemeofthe novel:thewaythelivesofciviliansbecomecaughtupinwaranddestroyedbyit.AlsoIveseen kestrelsridingtheaircurrentsinAfghanistanastheyhuntand,inthenovel,Ellendoestoo.Ithink ofthemassymbolicofthecountrysrecenthistory.Theyrepowerful,beautifulbirdsbutalsobirds ofprey,associatedwiththeviolenceofthenaturalworld. 3.Onpage16,youwrite:despiteallthediscomfortanddanger,warzonesmadeherfeelmore fullyalivethananyotherplacesheknew.Isthishowyoufeel?HowmuchofthecharacterEllenis basedonyourownattitudesandexperiences? Idothinkmanyjournalists,includingme,findsomethingcompelling,evenaddictive,aboutwar zonesandotherextremesituations,suchasriots,naturaldisastersandsomecrimestories.Theyare deeplydistressingenvironmentsbuttheyarealsointenseandtherushingadrenalin,partlyinduced byfear,heightensallthesenses.ThatiswhatImeantbyfullyalive.Reportinginsuchsituationsis alsoareminderofwhatreallymattersinlife. IfoundEllenthemostdifficultcharacterinthenoveltowrite.Iwantedtodrawonmyownreporting experience,andespeciallymyexperienceasafemalereporterinamostlymaleworld,butIalso wantedtocreateacharacterwhowasseparatefromanddifferentfromme.Thatwasadifficult balancetostrike.Broadlyspeaking,ourvaluesaresimilar.Butsheisdefinitelyawomanofaction whotakesextremephysicalrisksandalonerandIdontseemyselfasthosethings. 4.Bywritingafictionalstoryaboutrealevents,doyouthinkthereaderwillfinditeasiertorelate tothesituationinAfghanistan? Obviouslytheresabigdifferencebetweentherealenvironmentinwhichthenoveltakesplace,for examplethesenseofplace,theportrayalofelementsofAfghancultureandofmilitarylife,andthe elementsoffictionwhichincludetheplotandcharacters.Thisisnotatruestory.ButIdidwantto exploreunderlyingissuesaboutthedifficultiesfacedbycivilians,especiallywomen,whoarecaught upintheconflictandthedifficultiestooforBritishsoldierswhoaresenttoaveryhostileandalien theatre.Nooneinthisnovelisrightorwrong:itsamorallycomplicatedlandscape.ButIhope

 readerswillrespondonapersonalandemotionalleveltothecharactersinawayinwhichthey mightnotrespondtoanewsreportaboutAfghanistan. 5.Ellenisconstantlyworriedaboutfilingherreportsontime.Doyoufindthatthispressureand timeconstraintaffectsthestoriesyouwriteabout? Ellensneedtogetthestoryandtofileherreportsdoesspurheronandaddstothenovelspace. Infact,comparedtomanyrealjournalists,shehastremendouslyloosedeadlinesbecausesheis filingforaweeklynewsmagazine(andsometimesitsonlinesiteaswell)whichmeansthatsheoften hasdaysatatimetocarryoutlengthyinvestigations. Inmyownworkasajournalist,limitedtimeandconstantlyloomingdeadlinescanbeconstraining andstressful.Thepressurecanbeabarriertoaskingextraquestionsorsimplyspendingmoretime gettingtoknowandunderstandpeopleatthecentreofevents.Asafictionwriter,Ienjoythefact thatIcanspendtimewriting,reflectingandimaginingbeinginsomeoneelsesskin,whichareporter canneverdo. 6.Ellennotesthatprofessionaldistanceistheonlywayshesgoingtosurvivethis.Howhardisit nottocrosstheline?Haveyoueverfoundyourselfgettingtooinvolved? Journalistsarehumanbeingsandsometimes,especiallywhenworkinginthedevelopingworld,it canbeextremelydifficulttowitnesssufferingandnottrytointervene,eventhough,strictly speaking,Ithinkthatjournalistsshouldbeprofessionalobservers,ratherthanparticipants.Ifaceda challengeinAugust2010whenIwascoveringthefloodsinPakistanandcameacrossafivedayold babywhohadbeenbornbytheroadside.Hermotherdidnthavefood,waterorshelterandthe babyseemedclosetodeath.Ialertedadoctorandhemanagedtofindandtreatthebabyandshe survived.IworriedafterwardswhetherIhadcrossedthelinebyinterfering.Iwillneverknow,for example,ifIdivertedthedoctorawayfromanotherdesperatelyillpatient.Ibroadcastapieceabout mydilemmaontheBBCprogrammeFromOurOwnCorrespondentandhadastrongand reassuringresponsefromthepublic.Butthesesituationsareoftenveryhauntingandhardto handle. 7.Oppressionandhopearekeythemesinthenovel.Jalilhopestogotouniversitytogivehis familyabetterlife.NajibhopesforafamilyofhisownandHasinahopesthatherhusbandandson willsurvive.Whyareyousoeagerforthereadertosharethecharactershopesanddashed dreams?Arethepersonalstoriesofhopeamicrocosmforthepoliticalstoriesofhopeforthe Afghancitizens? Ithinkwereallmotivatedbyourdesires.Love,whichmotivatesHasinasostrongly,isperhapsthe mostpowerfulofallbutotherhopes,forexample,ofamorecomfortablelife,ofhavingafamily, offame,ofreputationareallstrongdriverstoo.ThatstruewhetherwereinwartornHelmandor intheWest.Iwantmyreaderstounderstandwhatdrivesdifferentcharacterssothat,asaresult, theycansharetheirhopesandfeelaconnectionwiththem.Thatmakesthecharactersmorereal,I hope,andmoreempathetic.Inreallifetoo,whenwefocusonthesebasichumansimilarities,rather thansuperficialculturaldifferences,ithelpsustocarewhathappenselsewhere,includingin Afghanistan,andbringspoliticstolife.

 8.Afghanistanisstillinthenewsalot.Doyouthinkthesituationwilltrulyimprove? Thenextperiodwillbekey.WearestartingtoseethesteadyreductionofNATOledtroopsnowand agradualtransitiontoAfghancontroland,possibly,thenegotiationofapoliticalsettlementwiththe Talibanwhichcouldleadtothesharingofpoliticalpower.Therearemanyuncertainties,including whatroleAfghanistansneighbourswillplayasWesternmilitaryinfluencedeclines.Iverymuch hopethatAfghanistanwillachieveabasiclevelofsecurityinthecomingyearswhichwouldallowit todevelopeconomically.Italsoneedstoimproveitsbasicstandardofgovernance,particularlyby tacklingcorruption.Allthis,ifitweresuccessful,wouldmakeitpossibleforthedailylifeofordinary Afghanfamiliestoimprove.

QUESTIONSFORDISCUSSION

1. WhatdidTheLastKestrelteachyouaboutAfghanistanandtheattitudesofAfghanmenand women?Didanythingsurpriseyou? 2. Onpage237,EllenreflectsonJalilsdeath:Howcouldshehaveknownthatthefew thousanddollarshewantedwouldhaveboughthislife?DoyouthinkEllenwasrightto refuseJalilthemoney?Issherighttoblameherselfforhisdeath? 3. DiscussEllenandHasinasrelationship.Whatdotheyhaveincommon? 4. Onpage134,Najibstates:Youcannotimaginetolivewithoutmusic.Howdeadthelifeis. WhydoyouthinktheTalibanpreventAfghansfromlisteningtomusic?Whataretheother effectsoftheiroppressiverule? 5. WhydidMajorMackstrikedealswithpeoplelikeKaram?Doyouthinkthereisanylogic behindhismotives? 6. Onpage176Arefstates:Youaretraitors,bothofyou.Youandhim.Youareshamingour family.WhydoesAreffeelthiswaytowardshismotherandfather? 7. Attheendofthenovel,Ellenisstillweigheddownbysadnessdespitehavingwrittenher story.Whydoyouthinkthisis? 8. Howdidthenovelmakeyoufeelafterreadingit?Areyoumoreorlesslikelytoreadnews articlesaboutthesituationinAfghanistan?