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lebateleur) wrote2021-02-05 08:07 pm
lebateleur) wrote2021-02-05 08:07 pm
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Blake & Avery Sync Read: The Strangler Vine: Prologue - Chapter 4
TGIF! And what better way to celebrate the weekend than with the first Blake & Avery sync read post for The Strangler Vine.
This post covers the prologue and chapters 1-4. Beneath the cut tags are write-ups of each, focusing on some of the main developments and my reactions thereto. I've written these as though I'm reading the book for the first time, so there are spoilers for each chapter--but nothing beyond said chapter--under each cut. That way, everyone can dive in and comment on the without having to worry about being spoiled for anything that comes later in the book. (That said, I absolutely want to discuss foreshadowing, red herrings, and how subsequent chapters and books build on events in this post in comments! Just be sure to flag any spoilers up front.)
Random thoughts before we get started: I love Carter's use of archaic spellings--they really help give a sense of place and time period. Also, we're in Bengal; why is no one speaking Bangla?
And with that out of the way, let's get started!
Prologue:Standard mystery novel scene setting with an ambiguous character POV. Moving on...
Chapter 1:Our introduction to Avery, Blake, and Macpherson! I love the interactions between Avery and Macpherson, and how Carter uses them to introduce readers to Calcutta and to the duo’s differing reactions to it. We’re already starting to see how Avery is a fish out of water, and how deeply he’s afflicted by culture shock (and how little he realizes it).
We’re also introduced to Mountstuart—1827-style influencer and disrupter, and the reason why Avery came to India in the first place. Up to this point I wasn’t very disposed to like Avery; Macpherson’s geeky enthusiasm and openness to other cultures was much more my thing. But then we find out that Avery’s a fanboy bookworm, which goes a long way toward reconciling him.
And his interactions with Blake—oof. Here is someone who seems cut from the reverse side of the same cloth as Avery: willing to go toe-to-toe in rudeness, and definitely not taking care of himself. Neither of them come out of this reaction looking good. It seems like maybe Macpherson would have been the better choice to coax Blake into accepting the Company’s letter? He certainly seems like he’d have more in common with Blake, if Blake has gone native to the degree he’s rumored to, and thus likelier to get off on a better foot with Blake.
Chapter 2:The levee! But before we get to that, woah, this is how Mountstuart reads? Is he really as good as everyone says he is? I wonder how much of that passage Macpherson ad libbed. ;-) Again, I love the interactions here between Avery and Macpherson. Avery’s kind of a babe in the woods; you wonder how well he would have managed without Macpherson’s steady(ing) influence.
And poor Avery! The levee finds him back in what should be familiar territory, but he’s still a fish out of water. His schoolboy crush on Helen is endearing, and she certainly seems to share his disdain for Indian culture. (Also, I like Mountstuart’s poetry much more than his prose.) But alas! Just as Avery looks poised to make headway with Helen, he’s called away once more…
...to deal with Blake, no less. Who’s as displeased to be thrown back into Avery’s company as Avery is to find himself back in Blake’s. That said, we start to see here that there’s more to Blake than initially meets the eye. We’ve had some intimations here and in the proceeding chapter that he’s hardly from a privileged background, and yet he apparently rose through the ranks to Captain; Avery, with his much better family background has done nothing but spin his wheels. Buchanan thinks Blake’s the man for an irregular, commando style mission into the backofbeyond, for all he looks ready to crumble into dust. And yet, neither does it seem that Buchanan trusts him, judging from the fact that he’s chosen very proper Company man Avery to go along as minder and erstwhile spy.
Chapter 3:Holy afjkds$#! I’d thought for sure that Avery and Macpherson were going to be the main duo, and now Macpherson’s dead?!? Now who is going to help Avery see India through less jaundiced eyes? (To say nothing of win over Blake with a mutual love of Indian culture to get to the bottom of whatever fishy business Blake may be involved with?) It looks like there was a side to Macpherson’s cultural and linguistic expertise that Avery was entirely unaware of. The funeral scene was really touching: you get a good sense of how isolated young Company recruits are from their families and any sort of support system. That scene in Avery’s now empty bungalow: oh, that hurts. We also get our first hint of Avery’s age: around 21. It’s another weight on Avery’s shoulders, along with his: (probable) alcoholism, gambling habit and the debts it’s caused, poor financial skills in general, culture shock and displacement from his family, and emotional estrangement and likely depression. And then you have people like Keefe who are all too aware of how to take advantage of people like Avery.
As do Avery’s servants...although 21st century me is quite happy to seem them getting their digs in at the callous and incurious Company drones. Grieving, hung over, and robbed: a not at all auspicious start to his mission. And here’s Blake, making it very clear to Avery he doesn’t want him there either. Avery’s going to have to learn Hindi quickly or find himself even more isolated.
The scene were he abandons his possessions is painful. It’s brilliantly written, and shows both how pompous and ill-suited to the environment British/Company culture is, and how painful this journey is going to be for Avery, from whom all the remaining signifiers of his status (such as it is) and self-respect are shorn.
And given a choice between all of it, he chooses his books. Oh, Avery.
Chapter 4:
Chapter 4 is where the book really took off for me. We really start to get a deeper sense of who Avery is, versus who he thinks he is or tries to be. His fumbling attempt to make peace with Blake (and Blake’s cutting dismissal), and how, in his spectating of Blake, he has the capacity for observation and insight. We also get further insights into Avery’s personality: that he’s a bona fide outdoorsy type (vice someone who’s into riding and shooting as appropriately masculine signifiers) and would probably be enjoying this outing more if he could just shake off his attachment to cultural signifiers.
And oh my god, can we talk about how cool it is that we don’t even know what Blake looks like until we’re 55 pages into the novel? I can’t think of another author who doesn’t info-dump that information right at the outset. And even the description we get here isn’t really all that descriptive! Blake’s eyes are “some mud shade, [we] suppose”? How many other authors would be brave enough to do this?
Mir Aziz is the surprise MVP here, taking Avery under his wing to mitigate Avery’s hurt and resentment of his treatment at Blake’s hands. I do wonder though, whether Blake is as disinterested in the mission as Avery makes him out to be: after all, Avery has no idea what Blake is saying to any of the Indians or caravan members, etc. they encounter. And if Mountstuart disappeared looking for Thugs, it makes sense that the people closest to Thuggee might be in a better position to know what happened to him.
Anyway, I love the travelogue quality of this chapter. We get a sense of the flora, the fauna, the inconveniences and nuisances the travelers face, how customs change from location to location, and how the inhabitants view and live in their world (versus how the Company perceives them). Blake sure does seem to know a lot of people, doesn’t he? It’s interesting that he seems to be much more well liked among the Indian populations than and European society.
Page 67, and Avery’s reaction to it, made me love him and love this book. XD XD XD
…Aaand then Avery undoes it by bullying Mir Aziz. What are you doing!? Mir Aziz is the only person in this group inclined to show you kindness! Why are you being such a d-bag to him? (And remember how angry you get when you feel the Indians aren’t showing you appropriate respect? Imagine that, only it’s your country that’s been invaded and colonized, and you’re forced to grow opium poppies instead of food that could feed your country, which happens to be on the brink of famine. And, just, yeah.
Between this and Avery’s conversation with the Company civilian, we are really getting a sense of the ruinous arrogance and hypocrisy of the Company’s approach.)
And then Avery regains our sympathy with his uncomplicated happiness at his reception by Jiggins et al. Avery is very much a people person, if not bona fide extrovert, and we get such a good sense of how much he’s been hurting for human interaction and companionship. And because he gets it, he gives away a little more than perhaps we should. Interesting tidbit about Blake—or maybe another Blake—getting drunk and cursing in Irish.
Also, holy crap! Cliffhanger!!
これで以上です。
This post covers the prologue and chapters 1-4. Beneath the cut tags are write-ups of each, focusing on some of the main developments and my reactions thereto. I've written these as though I'm reading the book for the first time, so there are spoilers for each chapter--but nothing beyond said chapter--under each cut. That way, everyone can dive in and comment on the without having to worry about being spoiled for anything that comes later in the book. (That said, I absolutely want to discuss foreshadowing, red herrings, and how subsequent chapters and books build on events in this post in comments! Just be sure to flag any spoilers up front.)
Random thoughts before we get started: I love Carter's use of archaic spellings--they really help give a sense of place and time period. Also, we're in Bengal; why is no one speaking Bangla?
And with that out of the way, let's get started!
Prologue:Standard mystery novel scene setting with an ambiguous character POV. Moving on...
Chapter 1:Our introduction to Avery, Blake, and Macpherson! I love the interactions between Avery and Macpherson, and how Carter uses them to introduce readers to Calcutta and to the duo’s differing reactions to it. We’re already starting to see how Avery is a fish out of water, and how deeply he’s afflicted by culture shock (and how little he realizes it).
We’re also introduced to Mountstuart—1827-style influencer and disrupter, and the reason why Avery came to India in the first place. Up to this point I wasn’t very disposed to like Avery; Macpherson’s geeky enthusiasm and openness to other cultures was much more my thing. But then we find out that Avery’s a fanboy bookworm, which goes a long way toward reconciling him.
And his interactions with Blake—oof. Here is someone who seems cut from the reverse side of the same cloth as Avery: willing to go toe-to-toe in rudeness, and definitely not taking care of himself. Neither of them come out of this reaction looking good. It seems like maybe Macpherson would have been the better choice to coax Blake into accepting the Company’s letter? He certainly seems like he’d have more in common with Blake, if Blake has gone native to the degree he’s rumored to, and thus likelier to get off on a better foot with Blake.
Chapter 2:The levee! But before we get to that, woah, this is how Mountstuart reads? Is he really as good as everyone says he is? I wonder how much of that passage Macpherson ad libbed. ;-) Again, I love the interactions here between Avery and Macpherson. Avery’s kind of a babe in the woods; you wonder how well he would have managed without Macpherson’s steady(ing) influence.
And poor Avery! The levee finds him back in what should be familiar territory, but he’s still a fish out of water. His schoolboy crush on Helen is endearing, and she certainly seems to share his disdain for Indian culture. (Also, I like Mountstuart’s poetry much more than his prose.) But alas! Just as Avery looks poised to make headway with Helen, he’s called away once more…
...to deal with Blake, no less. Who’s as displeased to be thrown back into Avery’s company as Avery is to find himself back in Blake’s. That said, we start to see here that there’s more to Blake than initially meets the eye. We’ve had some intimations here and in the proceeding chapter that he’s hardly from a privileged background, and yet he apparently rose through the ranks to Captain; Avery, with his much better family background has done nothing but spin his wheels. Buchanan thinks Blake’s the man for an irregular, commando style mission into the backofbeyond, for all he looks ready to crumble into dust. And yet, neither does it seem that Buchanan trusts him, judging from the fact that he’s chosen very proper Company man Avery to go along as minder and erstwhile spy.
Chapter 3:Holy afjkds$#! I’d thought for sure that Avery and Macpherson were going to be the main duo, and now Macpherson’s dead?!? Now who is going to help Avery see India through less jaundiced eyes? (To say nothing of win over Blake with a mutual love of Indian culture to get to the bottom of whatever fishy business Blake may be involved with?) It looks like there was a side to Macpherson’s cultural and linguistic expertise that Avery was entirely unaware of. The funeral scene was really touching: you get a good sense of how isolated young Company recruits are from their families and any sort of support system. That scene in Avery’s now empty bungalow: oh, that hurts. We also get our first hint of Avery’s age: around 21. It’s another weight on Avery’s shoulders, along with his: (probable) alcoholism, gambling habit and the debts it’s caused, poor financial skills in general, culture shock and displacement from his family, and emotional estrangement and likely depression. And then you have people like Keefe who are all too aware of how to take advantage of people like Avery.
As do Avery’s servants...although 21st century me is quite happy to seem them getting their digs in at the callous and incurious Company drones. Grieving, hung over, and robbed: a not at all auspicious start to his mission. And here’s Blake, making it very clear to Avery he doesn’t want him there either. Avery’s going to have to learn Hindi quickly or find himself even more isolated.
The scene were he abandons his possessions is painful. It’s brilliantly written, and shows both how pompous and ill-suited to the environment British/Company culture is, and how painful this journey is going to be for Avery, from whom all the remaining signifiers of his status (such as it is) and self-respect are shorn.
And given a choice between all of it, he chooses his books. Oh, Avery.
Chapter 4:
Chapter 4 is where the book really took off for me. We really start to get a deeper sense of who Avery is, versus who he thinks he is or tries to be. His fumbling attempt to make peace with Blake (and Blake’s cutting dismissal), and how, in his spectating of Blake, he has the capacity for observation and insight. We also get further insights into Avery’s personality: that he’s a bona fide outdoorsy type (vice someone who’s into riding and shooting as appropriately masculine signifiers) and would probably be enjoying this outing more if he could just shake off his attachment to cultural signifiers.
And oh my god, can we talk about how cool it is that we don’t even know what Blake looks like until we’re 55 pages into the novel? I can’t think of another author who doesn’t info-dump that information right at the outset. And even the description we get here isn’t really all that descriptive! Blake’s eyes are “some mud shade, [we] suppose”? How many other authors would be brave enough to do this?
Mir Aziz is the surprise MVP here, taking Avery under his wing to mitigate Avery’s hurt and resentment of his treatment at Blake’s hands. I do wonder though, whether Blake is as disinterested in the mission as Avery makes him out to be: after all, Avery has no idea what Blake is saying to any of the Indians or caravan members, etc. they encounter. And if Mountstuart disappeared looking for Thugs, it makes sense that the people closest to Thuggee might be in a better position to know what happened to him.
Anyway, I love the travelogue quality of this chapter. We get a sense of the flora, the fauna, the inconveniences and nuisances the travelers face, how customs change from location to location, and how the inhabitants view and live in their world (versus how the Company perceives them). Blake sure does seem to know a lot of people, doesn’t he? It’s interesting that he seems to be much more well liked among the Indian populations than and European society.
Page 67, and Avery’s reaction to it, made me love him and love this book. XD XD XD
…Aaand then Avery undoes it by bullying Mir Aziz. What are you doing!? Mir Aziz is the only person in this group inclined to show you kindness! Why are you being such a d-bag to him? (And remember how angry you get when you feel the Indians aren’t showing you appropriate respect? Imagine that, only it’s your country that’s been invaded and colonized, and you’re forced to grow opium poppies instead of food that could feed your country, which happens to be on the brink of famine. And, just, yeah.
Between this and Avery’s conversation with the Company civilian, we are really getting a sense of the ruinous arrogance and hypocrisy of the Company’s approach.)
And then Avery regains our sympathy with his uncomplicated happiness at his reception by Jiggins et al. Avery is very much a people person, if not bona fide extrovert, and we get such a good sense of how much he’s been hurting for human interaction and companionship. And because he gets it, he gives away a little more than perhaps we should. Interesting tidbit about Blake—or maybe another Blake—getting drunk and cursing in Irish.
Also, holy crap! Cliffhanger!!
これで以上です。
no subject
I love outdoorsman Avery! I think I grow fonder and fonder of him through the book, but I think seeing his obvious fondness for the outdoors and doing practical stuff is where I truly started to like him. I don't know why, considering that I am a true homebody myself XD, but somehow him not caring at all for the city atmosphere is just really endearing. I also loved that he has flashes of insight even at this early stage, that maybe he really would like India a lot better if he could lay all his toxic expectations aside.
The description of Blake is great, and again shows Avery to be a lot more sensitive and observant than he's been acting so far. I was particularly interested in two quotes. The first: "I suppose some might have called him handsome - in a coarse and common way", for shippy purposes of course. XD (There is literally no reason to think that he's handsome, Avery! Nobody else in the books seems to agree with you, Avery!) The second: "He carried about with him an air of what, for lack of a better word, I called insolence, but which I felt as the days passed was more a sceptical irritation with the world", because it sums up my affection for Blake's character so well.
Avery getting shot down by Blake is just PAINFUL. I think both of them are at fault in this interaction yet again. They're both making a lot of assumptions about each other, and both trying to drive each other away to varying degrees. It's a miracle that they ever grow closer, given all of that!
Another thing that I love about this scene is we get to see Blake's deductions for the first time. You can tell how much fun Carter is having writing a proto Sherlock figure, and I find it really sweet.
Aziz and Avery's bond is very sweet so far! I like that Avery has somebody looking out for him, even if he doesn't deserve it all the time.
Avery loudly insisting on wearing company uniform in Blake's hearing is hilarious. If this was a TV adaptation I could just imagine the shot of Blake rolling his eyes. XD
I like Sameer! If he and Avery weren't so very divided by everything I actually think they'd probably get on extremely well.
"His lordship would not have that" they hate each other so much at this point!
Blake as a former soldier is v interesting! It's not something that I consider absolutely key to any conception of his character, considering that there's so much other juicy stuff coming up, but it's still absolutely fascinating. It could also lead to some really interesting fic ideas, from the porny (I can imagine Avery going weak kneed at the sight of Blake in a proper uniform, ngl) to a more sober look at how being soldiers has influenced the both of them.
Don't be mean to Aziz, Avery! :( It's such a dick move, and the fact that he feels terrible about it afterwards hardly makes things any better.
“Some kind of poor-house prodigy” is an interesting look at Blake’s low origins, that we’re going to find out more about later. Interesting that he basically speaks everything, and a big part of him that I love. Also interesting that he once allowed himself to be drunk and out of control, in contrast to the fact that he's so tightly controlled through all the books. Do we ever get to see Blake get casually drunk in canon? I don't think so, and it speaks a lot to how he's gotten so beaten down by life.
I'm already remembering why I love these books so much! :D Some very good stuff coming up over the next few chapters.
no subject
Absolutely! It’s the first time where readers get to see him doing something well—up to that point it was an open question as to whether he’s good at anything aside from complaining, drinking, and sucking at gambling, but here we get confirmation that he’s mismatched to his environment versus being someone who just wants a life of privilege and/or “natives” waiting on him hand and foot. His realization that, had he been in Devon, he would have been enjoying himself is pretty revealing. So yes, toxic expectations noted, although perhaps not fully dealt with yet. ;)
(There is literally no reason to think that he's handsome, Avery! Nobody else in the books seems to agree with you, Avery!)
YOU CERTAINLY ARE WATCHING SOMEONE YOU DISLIKE VERY CLOSELY FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER, AVERY. I mean, just, yeah. XD It’s really his first toe in the water of, Maybe this guy is kinda okay? Just a teeeensy bit? Not that I’d ever tell him or anything, but perhaps not the devil incarnate? XD XD XD
Those are such a great, defining quotes for Blake, definitely. I also love the description of Blake as always busy, always too preoccupied to approach, someone who does his best to make people leave him alone from square one to protect himself from further pain and disappointment. I mean, this is someone who tries to maneuver a horse between himself and Avery to get Avery to stop trying to speak to him. It really sets the ground for how Avery manages to break through, just by his stubborn insistence to not be permanently put off by Blake.
It's a miracle that they ever grow closer, given all of that!
No kidding, particularly given that they could just have easily been at each other's throats by the end of the journey, given that they're basically stuck with each other 24-7 on the enforced road trip from hell. Add to that the "You don't know me and you don't know anything about me" resentment they're clearly both feeling in response to the assumptions they're making about each other and it is...not a recipe for ever getting along well. It's amazing Avery doesn't permanently storm off to the Company men and Blake permanently refuse to speak any English after the first week or so.
Another thing that I love about this scene is we get to see Blake's deductions for the first time.
Yes! And unlike in an upcoming chapter, he pretty obviously thinks he has Avery pegged. And yet. It goes a long way toward explaining why Blake puts up with him at all: he doesn't want to acknowledge Avery at all because he's so clearly ill-equipped to help Blake track down Mountstuart, but there's something about him he can't fully figure out, and he keeps watching despite himself because he can't let it rest until he puzzles it out.
Avery loudly insisting on wearing company uniform in Blake's hearing is hilarious. If this was a TV adaptation I could just imagine the shot of Blake rolling his eyes. XD
This is such a great mental image! And talk about something tailor made to exacerbate Blake's "skeptical irritation with the world." ^^; To your point below, it makes me wonder what kind of soldier Blake was. He made captain, so clearly someone in the system thought he was effective enough to promote him that high despite his lacking even the tenuous connections Avery has. But I can't imagine Blake would have tolerated that sort of ceremony or procedure for its own sake; I wonder how many enemies it made him.
And yes. Avery losing his composure at the sight of Blake in uniform is something I CAN VERY MUCH GET BEHIND AND SUPPORT. I enthusiastically admit that the bit in TDF where Avery refers to them as "both accustomed to command" gave me IDEAS FOR DAEYZ. And just, yes. This needs to be explored more.
no subject
Definitely! I mean, Blake definitely remains the more competent of these two throughout all the books, but Avery definitely isn't an incompetent person. He just doesn't deal at all well with inactivity, when he's actually given something to do and/or challenged in any way he's more than likely to rise to the occasion admirably. He definitely does have so much toxic stuff to work through, but already we can see that he doesn't exactly regard anybody as inherently lesser than him; he just has a lot of working through his society induced biases to actually get to the point where that's obvious.
YOU CERTAINLY ARE WATCHING SOMEONE YOU DISLIKE VERY CLOSELY FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER, AVERY.
He is! XD I mean, I can tell you for a fact that I do not know the eye colours of any of the people I actually hate. He does try to play it off as having very little else to do, but that's just not true! Blake and Avery are still very different at this point, but I think their mutual desire to KNOW things - even if Avery isn't always aware of that desire - is definitely an area of bonding for them.
I also love the description of Blake as always busy, always too preoccupied to approach, someone who does his best to make people leave him alone from square one to protect himself from further pain and disappointment. I mean, this is someone who tries to maneuver a horse between himself and Avery to get Avery to stop trying to speak to him. It really sets the ground for how Avery manages to break through, just by his stubborn insistence to not be permanently put off by Blake.
Agreed on all of this! I get the sense that Blake was never exactly an extrovert, but everything he's been through has definitely made him a man who pushes others away because he thinks that any connection can only end in pain and heartbreak. And I think that's definitely why they bond in the end, Avery SHOULD be put off by Blake's deliberate attempts to put him off but he isn't. Every time he's shoved back he just sulks for half a second, and then immediately goes running after Blake again. It's just adorable, really. XD
It goes a long way toward explaining why Blake puts up with him at all: he doesn't want to acknowledge Avery at all because he's so clearly ill-equipped to help Blake track down Mountstuart, but there's something about him he can't fully figure out, and he keeps watching despite himself because he can't let it rest until he puzzles it out.
Definitely! The entire bond between them starts because Blake so desperately wants to put Avery into a neat little box, and then Avery keeps clambering out of that neat little box every single time. He's a puzzle, and in trying to figure out that puzzle I can see Blake falling head over heels for him.
it makes me wonder what kind of soldier Blake was. He made captain, so clearly someone in the system thought he was effective enough to promote him that high despite his lacking even the tenuous connections Avery has.
It is a really interesting thought! I have so much curiosity about what Blake was like when he was younger, before all the life was beaten out of him. I can't imagine him getting on very well with either authority or power structures, and definitely can't imagine him being on board with the whole colonialism angle, but I can imagine him being extremely close to the men underneath him. It's a very interesting thing to think about.
very losing his composure at the sight of Blake in uniform is something I CAN VERY MUCH GET BEHIND AND SUPPORT. I enthusiastically admit that the bit in TDF where Avery refers to them as "both accustomed to command" gave me IDEAS FOR DAEYZ
I am very glad that you like this idea! XD And oooooh, that is definitely one of my favourite lines and really does have SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES. I can imagine Avery being guiltily into being ordered around in bed, and Blake being just as guiltily into doing the ordering...
no subject
Avery definitely isn't an incompetent person. He just doesn't deal at all well with inactivity, when he's actually given something to do and/or challenged in any way he's more than likely to rise to the occasion admirably. He definitely does have so much toxic stuff to work through
And Calcutta is really not helping in this regard. He's such a people person who wants to fit in and get on with others. Add to that the pressure of trying to better his social standing in a place where society has largely agreed that the idler you are, the higher-quality you are, and that "natives" should be doing everything anyway. All that adds extra pressure on him to be idle, which makes him feel worse, which brings more of his worst qualities to the fore...
I can tell you for a fact that I do not know the eye colours of any of the people I actually hate.
You mean you don't spend a lot of time looking into them for as long as you're able, as Avery apparently does? XD
He does try to play it off as having very little else to do, but that's just not true!
Exactly. We know he spends a lot of time with Mir Aziz, and that he's got a lot in common with Sameer and will eventually realize that and grow closer to him too. But Blake is the guy he spends time thinking about.
I get the sense that Blake was never exactly an extrovert,
Which I very much agree with. To me, it's telling that he "swears like an Irish sailor" or whatever when he's drunk--that strikes me as classic "introvert who wants to get along but doesn't know how to calibrate drinking and human interaction in social events and overdoes it."
Every time he's shoved back he just sulks for half a second, and then immediately goes running after Blake again. It's just adorable, really. XD
Every time Blake thinks he's finally succeeded, nope, there's Avery again, like the Energizer Bunny...
I can't imagine him getting on very well with either authority or power structures, and definitely can't imagine him being on board with the whole colonialism angle, but I can imagine him being extremely close to the men underneath him.
I agree, this would be fascinating to see. At Sleeman's dinner party he says something about "would have agreed once" with the planters' opinions on colonial rule and the Indians' need of it. And that makes sense, he came to India from the bottom of the heap of European social hierarchy and now here's his chance to not be at the bottom anymore. It's a dynamic that's still at play today, unfortunately, so not at all surprising to find it back then. But as you say, I think he'd absolutely feel closer to and more commonality with the men beneath him than the Company bigwigs, and that's where the colonialism angle loses him.
no subject
Blake hating people, but kind of wanting to know how they tick anyway, is yet another reason why I love him. <33
Every time Blake thinks he's finally succeeded, nope, there's Avery again, like the Energizer Bunny...
Heh, definitely! Blake just keeps trying to bat Avery back, even in the later books, and Avery just keeps returning with affection. Just let him adore you, Blake! XD