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The Man Who Snapped His Fingers
The Man Who Snapped His Fingers | Fariba Hachtroudi
13 posts | 7 read | 20 to read
Winner of the 2001 French Human Rights Prize, French-Iranian author Fariba Hachtroudi's English-language debut explores themes as old as time: the crushing effects of totalitarianism and the infinite power of love.She was known as "Bait 455," the most famous prisoner in a ruthless theological republic. He was one of the colonels closest to the Supreme Commander. When they meet, years later, far from their country of birth, a strange, equivocal relationship develops between them. Both their shared past of suffering and old romantic passions come rushing back accompanied by recollections of the perverse logic of violence that dominated the dictatorship under which they lived. The Man Who Snapped His Fingers is a novel of ideas, exploring power and memory by an important female writer from a part of the world where female voices are routinely silenced.From the Trade Paperback edition.
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quote
Bertha_Mason

"I don‘t care one way or the other if those guys go around killing each other, but for Christ‘s sake, why can‘t they wash their dirty laundry in their own country? I wonder why he didn‘t say “in your country.” Does he really think I belong to his country now?"

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Bertha_Mason

"Torture, like love, destroys, distorts, and transforms. Indubitably. Love, like torture, alters bodies. From precipices of torment. Both love and torture mortify the soul deep in one‘s inner chaos. Where the self disintegrates. Driven to such an extreme, a monster is transformed into a man of conscience, and an idealist into a turncoat."

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Bertha_Mason

"I don‘t care what happens to me. I just want you to know the truth. So the children will hear it from your lips. And so I will receive justice. From you. The only judge whom I respect. The sentence of the Last Judgment will come from your lips. It doesn‘t matter when. I will wait for my apocalypse."

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Bertha_Mason

"I swallowed all the sheets with the poems I had written for Del. One day a garden will grow in my belly. With bushes and flowers made of recycled paper, page after page of ragged words of love, words that have been flayed, and I fear they are repugnant, scribbled with tears of blood."

review
theshrinkette
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Pickpick

Holy wow. The book alternated b/w two POVs: a colonel from an Iranian regime, under interrogation while seeking asylum, and his translator, who was a prisoner under said regime, with whom he shares a past of torture. This past also leads to a mutual understanding, mainly involving decisions to save loved ones. The book deals with resistance, violence, betrayal, love. A short novel with vast content. All of the TWs. Highly recommend. #24in48

8little_paws Ooh this was totally off my radar!! Thanks for the rec! 8y
ReadingEnvy I really want to read this 8y
Lacythebookworm This one was so good! I loved the way the story unfolded ❤🙌 8y
51 likes6 stack adds3 comments
blurb
theshrinkette
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Hour six challenge: Say Cheese!

Holy shit this book is WHOA #24in48

lynneamch And your shirt is awesome. If only certain folks would read more. 🙄 8y
GlitteryOtters Alllllll the love for your shirt! 💕 8y
LeahBergen 😍😍😍 8y
62 likes3 comments
blurb
theshrinkette
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Onto the next one. #24in48

shawnmooney This sounds good! I look forward to your review! 8y
48 likes1 comment
blurb
theshrinkette
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Look what came in the mail! Thank you @read_diverse_books 💖

Suet624 Wow!!! 8y
Lacythebookworm This is a powerful book! Enjoy! 😊 8y
56 likes3 stack adds2 comments
review
Lacythebookworm
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Pickpick

The story of a woman imprisoned and tortured under an oppressive regime and her redemption in exile. Told from alternating viewpoints of the woman and her captor. I enjoy reading about women in the Middle East, so this one was definitely in my wheelhouse.

LeahBergen Sounds good! 8y
Cody It really covers a lot of ground in just a few pages 8y
44 likes10 stack adds2 comments
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Lacythebookworm
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My reading options for #7in7readathon! Anyone else participating?

Blair_Reads I haven't heard of that one. What is it? 8y
Donna_sBookMinute Neither have I. Going to google. 8y
Lacythebookworm @Blair_Reads @Donna_sBookMinute It's a seven day readathon with the goal of reading seven book-ish items (poetry, short stories, novellas, comics, etc.) You'll notice all of my choices are very short! 8y
See All 16 Comments
Lacythebookworm Here's a link to Marlin's video announcement: http://youtu.be/S6wPlOAzDSw 8y
Eyelit I haven't heard of this, but sounds great! I'm on staycation this week so I've definitely got time 😄 count me in 8y
WordWaller Ooooh. I wish I could do that! I'd never make it with my 45+ work week 8y
ReadingEnvy I adore Glaciers. 8y
Carol I'm still recovering from the last readathon 😂 What are the dates? 8y
Lacythebookworm @carol July 31-August 6 8y
Lacythebookworm @ReadingEnvy I've heard such good things about it! 8y
Carol Thanks! 8y
Donna_sBookMinute Thanks for the link, @Lacythebookworm. It's very thorough and encouraging. I'll take a look through my shelves. One book does come to mind. But I can't let it interfere with my current read, though. I'll see. Thanks again. 8y
Donna_sBookMinute Actually, I do have a six-volume set of short stories. If one story counts as a read, I might. Whupp -- just thought of something else. 8y
Blair_Reads I love this idea! Thanks for the video link! 8y
readinginthedark I would love to but can't this week! Looks like you picked some good ones! 8y
28 likes16 comments
review
Fancypants
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Mehso-so

Sad but didn't blow me away or totally impress me.

blurb
Soscha
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Bad day, good haul

quote
Cody
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He came upon me at the right moment. Happenstance. He needed to escape. I was his great escape. Indeed, I am convinced that love has no axiomatic reality.

6 likes3 stack adds