WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.600 Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Hey there. 00:00:01.760 --> 00:00:05.679 So imagine this. Imagine if the weight of a whole 00:00:05.679 --> 00:00:09.500 century's history, all the details, the good, 00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:13.060 the bad, the tragic, could live perfectly, totally 00:00:13.060 --> 00:00:16.800 accurately inside the minds of just like seven 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:20.500 people. Wow. That's quite a thought. Right. That's 00:00:20.500 --> 00:00:22.260 the kind of unsettling idea at the heart of our 00:00:22.260 --> 00:00:25.160 deep dive today. We're getting into girl lost 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:28.629 in her century looking for father. By Gonzalo 00:00:28.629 --> 00:00:31.190 M. Tavares. Yeah. And it's, well, it's historical 00:00:31.190 --> 00:00:33.990 fiction, technically, but it feels different. 00:00:34.270 --> 00:00:37.450 Not your standard narrative arc, you know? Definitely 00:00:37.450 --> 00:00:40.380 not. It's more like a collection of... moments, 00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:43.380 encounters, observations, all set in this Europe, 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:45.340 still reeling from the Holocaust. That's a good 00:00:45.340 --> 00:00:47.100 way to put it. And at the center, you have Marius. 00:00:47.179 --> 00:00:49.799 He's accompanying this young girl, Hannah. Right, 00:00:49.859 --> 00:00:51.719 Hannah. Yeah. She has Down syndrome and she's 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:53.479 searching for her father. That's the thread, 00:00:53.619 --> 00:00:55.920 sort of. Exactly. The narrative kind of hangs 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:57.640 off that journey. You know what really grabbed 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:00.179 me about this book? It was the details. The small 00:01:00.179 --> 00:01:03.200 things Tavares uses to explore these huge ideas. 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:05.439 Like what, for instance? Well, there's this bit 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:08.019 about a set of index cards. They're designed 00:01:08.019 --> 00:01:10.120 specifically for someone with learning disabilities. 00:01:10.459 --> 00:01:13.280 Ah, right. I remember that. It just makes you 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:16.840 stop and think. Yeah. About how we try to structure 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:19.159 understanding, how we perceive the world differently. 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:23.459 And how systems are created to sort of manage 00:01:23.459 --> 00:01:26.099 that difference. Yeah. And then there's the photographer 00:01:26.099 --> 00:01:28.180 character, the one obsessed with capturing the 00:01:28.180 --> 00:01:30.640 faces of animals. Oh, yeah. That was fascinating. 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:33.519 A bit strange, but fascinating. It all feeds 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:35.599 into these big questions about memory and understanding 00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:40.370 and... Just the human condition, I guess. Absolutely. 00:01:40.390 --> 00:01:42.609 And those details, like the cards, they really 00:01:42.609 --> 00:01:45.629 ground these abstract ideas. It shows how we 00:01:45.629 --> 00:01:48.290 build systems, try to make sense of things, even 00:01:48.290 --> 00:01:50.329 when faced with something complex like another 00:01:50.329 --> 00:01:52.590 person's way of seeing the world. And don't forget 00:01:52.590 --> 00:01:55.810 those 20th century's figures. They were something 00:01:55.810 --> 00:01:58.750 else. Uh -huh. Almost mythical, weren't they? 00:01:58.870 --> 00:02:01.430 Yeah. Not really characters in the usual way, 00:02:01.469 --> 00:02:05.230 more like living archives. embodying the memory 00:02:05.230 --> 00:02:07.230 of the last century, the good and the awful. 00:02:07.370 --> 00:02:10.310 It's how all these pieces Hana's search, these 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:12.930 strange encounters, the weight of history kind 00:02:12.930 --> 00:02:15.810 of braid together. It's all about memory, trauma, 00:02:15.990 --> 00:02:18.810 how things linger. Right. Those index cards, 00:02:18.949 --> 00:02:21.590 for example, they're simple, but they say so 00:02:21.590 --> 00:02:23.930 much about trying to organize knowledge, maybe 00:02:23.930 --> 00:02:27.430 even control it when faced with individuality. 00:02:27.550 --> 00:02:29.930 True. It shows how systems can help, but also 00:02:29.930 --> 00:02:33.189 maybe limit how we see people. Precisely. Okay, 00:02:33.229 --> 00:02:36.389 so. On the flip side, if I had to pick something 00:02:36.389 --> 00:02:41.509 that didn't quite click for me perfectly. Go 00:02:41.509 --> 00:02:43.770 on. It's probably the structure. It feels very 00:02:43.770 --> 00:02:45.710 fragmented at times. Yeah, I could see that. 00:02:45.770 --> 00:02:47.710 You jump between people, between scenes, and 00:02:47.710 --> 00:02:49.949 connections aren't always spelled out. Sometimes 00:02:49.949 --> 00:02:53.930 I found myself wanting a clearer path, a more 00:02:53.930 --> 00:02:57.629 traditional plot. More linear. Yeah. And also 00:02:57.629 --> 00:02:59.949 there's just so many characters introduced, lots 00:02:59.949 --> 00:03:03.810 of little stories. It could feel a bit. Overwhelming 00:03:03.810 --> 00:03:05.650 trying to keep track. That fragmentation, though. 00:03:05.770 --> 00:03:07.509 You would argue it's deliberate, right? Well, 00:03:08.110 --> 00:03:10.349 think about historical memory itself, especially 00:03:10.349 --> 00:03:13.530 after something like the Holocaust. It is fragmented. 00:03:13.530 --> 00:03:15.870 It's made up of millions of individual stories, 00:03:16.050 --> 00:03:20.370 many broken, incomplete. Huh. That's a really 00:03:20.370 --> 00:03:21.949 interesting take. Never thought of it quite like 00:03:21.949 --> 00:03:24.469 that. Maybe Tavares is mirroring that reality, 00:03:24.810 --> 00:03:27.270 inviting the reader to piece things together 00:03:27.270 --> 00:03:29.789 like we try to piece together history from... 00:03:30.740 --> 00:03:33.599 So the structure reflects the theme in a way. 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:36.780 Possibly. And those 20th century's figures fit 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:39.400 into that too, maybe? Not characters to follow, 00:03:39.479 --> 00:03:42.780 but symbols of that collective fractured memory 00:03:42.780 --> 00:03:45.080 popping up. Okay, yeah, that reframes it a bit 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:47.319 for me. Makes sense. It asks a bit more of the 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:50.280 reader, for sure. Definitely. So, weighing it 00:03:50.280 --> 00:03:53.300 all up, the fascinating ideas, the unique style, 00:03:53.460 --> 00:03:57.199 but also the... The challenging structure. I'm 00:03:57.199 --> 00:04:00.060 landing on a 3 .5 out of five stars. Fair rating. 00:04:00.199 --> 00:04:02.219 It's not an easy, straightforward read. You know, 00:04:02.219 --> 00:04:04.319 it really makes you work, makes you think. But 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:07.340 the insights, the themes, they definitely stick 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:09.340 with you. I agree. It's definitely more about 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:11.400 the thematic journey and the kind of emotional 00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:14.680 echoes than a plot driven story. And Hannah's 00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:17.560 character having down syndrome in that historical 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:19.779 context. Yeah, that adds another layer entirely. 00:04:20.490 --> 00:04:22.509 Especially considering the history of eugenics 00:04:22.509 --> 00:04:24.550 and how people deemed different were treated, 00:04:24.769 --> 00:04:27.870 her search isn't just personal, it subtly comments 00:04:27.870 --> 00:04:31.470 on which lives society chooses to value and remember. 00:04:32.009 --> 00:04:36.160 That's a really powerful point. Wow. OK, so if 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:38.540 this deep dive has got you interested in Girl 00:04:38.540 --> 00:04:41.779 Lost in Her Century Looking for Father, maybe 00:04:41.779 --> 00:04:43.540 piqued your curiosity. You should check it out. 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:45.379 Yeah, definitely. You can find a link to buy 00:04:45.379 --> 00:04:46.980 the book on Amazon. It's right there in the description 00:04:46.980 --> 00:04:49.660 below. And hey, if you enjoyed this, please like 00:04:49.660 --> 00:04:51.819 and subscribe for more deep dives into interesting 00:04:51.819 --> 00:04:54.279 books and ideas. Absolutely. Thanks, everyone, 00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:56.540 for tuning in. We genuinely love to hear what 00:04:56.540 --> 00:04:58.120 you thought. Yeah, what resonated with you? Was 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:01.139 there a particular moment or idea from our chat 00:05:01.139 --> 00:05:03.079 or from the book, if you've read it, that really 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:05.230 stood out? Drop your takeaways in the comment 00:05:05.230 --> 00:05:07.790 section. We really do read them. And please share 00:05:07.790 --> 00:05:09.610 this with anyone you think might appreciate this 00:05:09.610 --> 00:05:11.889 kind of unconventional storytelling. Definitely. 00:05:12.329 --> 00:05:14.410 And maybe just one final thought to leave you 00:05:14.410 --> 00:05:17.509 with. Think about memory, individual memory, 00:05:17.750 --> 00:05:21.389 collective memory, how powerful it is, but also 00:05:21.389 --> 00:05:24.389 how fragile. Right. If all the physical records, 00:05:24.569 --> 00:05:28.149 all the books, the photos, the files, if they 00:05:28.149 --> 00:05:31.689 all just vanished tomorrow, who would be left 00:05:31.689 --> 00:05:33.670 to tell the story? Just the people who remembered. 00:05:33.990 --> 00:05:36.790 Exactly. And how would their own filters, their 00:05:36.790 --> 00:05:39.290 interpretations, their biases, how would that 00:05:39.290 --> 00:05:41.709 shape what we understand as the truth of the 00:05:41.709 --> 00:05:44.810 past? A sobering thought. Something to chew on. 00:05:45.009 --> 00:05:47.089 Indeed. Thanks again for joining us. See you 00:05:47.089 --> 00:05:47.290 this time.