It's a Process // Moriah Nelson

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            I was surprised to not have been as confused reading The Past Aheadas I had expected, and it is written in such an interesting way as it goes from one storyline to another. I think one of the most concise statements about Isaro’s upbringing is: “Even before she realized she’d drowned, they took her from the water and gave her dry clothes and a cup of hot chocolate” (Gatore 29). Much of this story, thus far (and from what I understand), has been about Isaro giving herself permission to grieve and then discovering the loss of which she is grieving. Isaro was given a new identity without ever knowing why she had to give up her identity of her earliest years of life. Of course, this led to her eventually coming to a breaking point while in university and she then embarks on a journey to reclaim her history. In light of the lack of clarity given to Isaro’s past by her adoptive parents, I think Gatore’s novel is revealing the importance of recognizing trauma and not merely ignoring it after the fact. The Past Ahead might be calling its readers to look at brokenness, empathize with brokenness, and then grow because, and through, the brokenness. Gatore’s work appears to suggest that while grief is a process, it is a necessary process. I wonder if the rest of the novel will reveal more about Isaro’s process of grief (and how Niko’s story plays a role in Isaro’s grief) or if it ends in hope or is open-ended. 
I commented on Eliza and Hailey's posts.

Comments

Caroline Tucker said…
The part of your post asking how the book will end reminded me of something. You mentioned your pondering of if the book will end in hope, this reminded me of the hope we have in Christ. My family has been having to deal with grief this week which kept reminding me of Christ’s hope for our future. To think that all the people who went through the genocide, talked about in “The Past Ahead”, probably did not have the hope we have which saddens me and makes me think “what if?”.
April 20, 2020 at 12:53 PM
Rebecca Belew said…
I cannot agree more on the fact that Gatore is trying to get his readers to really look into trauma and the process of dealing with it. I believe he uses Isaro as an example of what to do while grieving and what not to do. Isaro wants to know what pulled her away from the place she knew so well and her grief and confusion drives her to proactively try again at life. But Isaro also shows signs that come with unprocessed grief. She blames her adoptive parents for changing her, when she knows she can remember the events all on her own, if she tries. She goes to reclaim herself and grows when she realized that her parents were not the ones to blame.
April 20, 2020 at 1:11 PM
Joshua Evers said…
Wow that's a great point! Gatore really does focus in on trauma. It reminds me of an illness that must be interacted with before a cure can be developed. Isaro must deal with her grief and trauma. Her past is certainly shaping her future.
April 20, 2020 at 8:00 PM
Drew Hedden said…
I'm also pretty impressed at Gatore's ability to create and describe Isaro's response to trauma through grief. It's really strange to sit back and watch it play out because of how he bounces around from Isaro's current situation, to her early childhood, to a few years ago, etc. I think you're right that the meaning behind a lot of Isaro's sections, if not the whole book, has to do with brokenness, as it's hard to see this book having much other meaning.
April 20, 2020 at 8:18 PM
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