Rose Page is a Cheltenham local and college lecturer in English. She has a Masters in Modern and Contemporary Literature, Culture and Thought, as well as a Bachelors in English Literature & Philosophy.

Her new monthly feature, ‘Book Club Picks’, will see Rose choose two books – one classic, one modern – with suggestions on discussion points for book clubs, as well as a brief description and comparison to other publications for more relaxed readers.

This month’s novel suggestions may seem worlds apart.

One is set in the depths of Africa, the other on the battlefields of ancient Troy. One is often criticised as xenophobic (author Chinua Achebe calls it an "offensive and deplorable" book) for its portrayal of the people of the Congo, while the other humanises and gives voices to victims of conflict.

However, both use narrators who are outsiders venturing into a world that is hostile towards them, yet where the us/them boundary becomes more complex as each story progresses.

Both explore themes of conquest and savagery, showing how humankind’s all-encompassing desire for the former makes monsters out of those who believe themselves to be most civilised.

If your group fancies a challenge, you could read both in order to compare and contrast them. Alternatively, you might want to put it to a vote to decide which to read based on the summaries below – or alternate between a classic and a modern novel at each group.

The Classic Choice: Joseph Conrad – Heart of Darkness (1899)

You’ll like this if: You are interested in colonial history or early 20th century psychology. Perhaps you’ve seen the film ‘Apocalypse Now’ and want to read the novel that inspired it – or maybe you are a fan of travelogues such as Tim Butcher’s ‘Blood River’.

If your group is short on time this novella is only 73 pages long (according to readinglength.com the average reader will read the entire book in less than an hour and a half!) so it is the ideal novel to begin with if you are a little intimidated by the idea of reading the classics.  

What’s it about?: Narrator Charles Marlow is a captain working for an ivory trading company, in charge of a ship bound for the interior of the African continent.

It is a journey fraught with bad weather, strange encounters at local outposts and rumours of the mysterious Mr Kurtz, an employee at their final destination who has ‘gone native’.

Marlow’s terrifying experience when he finally reaches Kurtz is enough to force him to re-evaluate his beliefs about what constitutes savagery.

Discussion questions for your group:

• Although Marlow is the narrator, he can be hard to sympathise with. Do you think we are meant to view Marlow as someone unworthy to pass the judgements he makes? 

• Most of the novel is taken up with the journey, with only the concluding pages set in the innermost regions at their destination. Did you get impatient to see what they would find – or is the journey itself more important to the narrative?

• The novel is full of symbols of darkness and blindness– how many did you spot and why do you think they are used? Consider the fog and the sketch of the blindfolded woman that Kurtz draws.

• It has been suggested that this journey into the ‘dark heart’ of Africa is an extended metaphor for journeying deep into one’s own subconscious mind. What evidence did you see for this in the novel – or do you think we should read it more literally?

• The novel was written in 1899, so can be classed as fin-de-siècle (end of the century) literature. This was a time when significant changes were afoot, with rapid advances in technology, science and medicine. Why then, do you think Conrad wrote a novel so focused on the primitive, full of technology that is broken or unusable?

• Finally – do you agree with Chinua Achebe’s belief that the novel is xenophobic, or is it in fact a critique of colonialism?

The Modern Choice: Pat Barker – The Silence of the Girls (2018)

You’ll like this if: You enjoy feminist retellings of famous literary texts such as Jean Rhys' rewriting of Jane Eyre in ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ or Louise O’Neill’s ‘The Surface Breaks’, her version of ‘The Little Mermaid’.

Alternatively, you may be an Ancient History buff and have read Homer’s ‘Iliad’ or the ‘Odyssey’. Perhaps you have just watched and enjoyed the film ‘Troy’ and want to find out more about some of the female figures we hear so little about!

What’s it about?: After the Achaean army lay siege to and destroy her city, narrator Briseis is taken as concubine by one of the army’s best fighters in Achilles, who claims her as one of the spoils of war.

She tells of her experiences – and experiences of the other women – living in the enemy camp, reduced to commodities to be traded amongst fighters, at best trophies, at worst slaves.

She explores the complexities of their loyalties as they come to know and understand – even love – the men who killed their fathers, husbands and sons.

Discussion questions for your group:

• Barker really humanises Achilles, creating a complex character, but paints Agamemnon as almost a pure villain. Is this fair? Do you think we see any sympathetic qualities in Agamemnon at all? Why not?

• The novel is credited as giving a voice to the voiceless – but while Briseis talks in vivid prose to us readers, she barely speaks in the camp. Does her silence frustrate you? Or are we simply frustrated for her?

• What do you make of Barker’s characterisation of Patroclus? In what ways is he a bridge between the male and female characters in the novel?

• What is the relationship between Gods and humans in the novel? Consider the plague that follows Briseis’ prayers to Apollo and the depiction of Achilles’ sea goddess mother.

• Do you end up hoping that Achilles and Briseis will truly fall for each other? Or do you blame Briseis for so readily forgetting the life she leaves behind?

• Homer’s original epic poem the ‘Iliad’, on which the novel is based, talks about the destruction that is caused by male aggression. Is it aggression or desire that you think causes the most damage in the novel?