Max Reads discussion

To discuss Purple Hibiscus: Part 4- A Different Silence.

Feel free to post spoilers. Do not read this thread if you haven't finished Part 4.

I'm not sure if this is maybe a little bit of a spoiler? Just for people who look before they're done reading part four. But when Beatrice and Kambili go to see Jaja and he's covered in scabs leaking puss, it kind of reminded me of Eugene when he was sick. Especially when he tells his mother to put her head scarf right and she quickly does what he says. It made me a bit uncomfortable to see him maybe starting to step into that role when he had always been the protector. I'm curious to know what other people think of the change in him.

Rebekah- I totally made the same observation about the scabs on Jaja. But I didn't really think about how his mother was so quick to obey him. It makes me wonder if when he's out of prison things will just go back to the way they were with Jaja taking his father's place. The ending seems more hopeful than that, but I'm not so sure now.

I've just finished the book today and I had the exact same feeling about Jaja, thinking: "oh, no, he will become his father!"