At the start of Chapter Sixteen, Soraya takes a moment to digest everything she has learnt. What do you feel on behalf of Soraya? Have your thoughts about Mrs. Hattingh completely shifted from the beginning of the book?
Mrs. Hattingh, once a woman who had everything together, now seems as lost as the other women who have lost their sons. Based on what she says in Chapter Sixteen, do you think there was a point where she even started to believe her own lies?
What do you think of the unspoken responsibility Mrs. Hattingh placed on Soraya to be her comfort and company? Do you think this was fair?
Do you think that if Soraya had known the truth, she still would have taken the job at Heron Place?
Mrs. Hattingh tells Soraya that what she did to Soraya and Nour’s relationship was kindness. Do you agree with Mrs. Hattingh that Nour didn’t even fight for their relationship? Do you think this betrayal was worth it?
Towards the end of Chapter Sixteen, Soraya forces Mrs. Hattingh to sit and right her wrongs. Do you think this is a cathartic conclusion to their relationship and everything they have been through together? Do you wish there was a different ending?
In Chapter Seventeen, Soraya receives a note from Mrs. Hattingh. What do you think of it? Did you think Mrs. Hattingh would have made the trip to see her son? Or did you think that she would stay in the Cape forever?
What do you think of the request she made of Soraya to get a snip of the lemon tree?
Soraya learns that her mother had a lot of influence in her father’s work and now in hers. What do you think of this?
Do you think the story we read in Cape Fever might be one of Soraya’s stories she pens in her father’s room? Would that change how you see the story?
7 responses to “Cape Fever Day Six”
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I wouldn’t know what to do in her situation, I would be in disbelief, I would be angry, I would be sad, man I would have to sit down and just think for a sec and that’s why I am happy Rosa was there to help her slow things down and see things for what they were so that she took a pause instead of reacting from a place of emotions.
I do think she started to believe her own lies. She desperately wanted to have ger son returned to her, and the line that spoke of how they entered “whole” able to speak and then left broken without the will to speak is very telling. I don’t think that asylum has any of those men’s best interests at heart and that’s why I was more sympathetic to Mrs. H.
I don’t think it was fair to place this solely on Soraya. Soraya came to be an employee not a comfort pillow.
She wouldn’t have I don’t think but at the end she made it worth her while by getting 7 years wages for her trouble – though I think it still isn’t worth the trouble she went through to acquire it.
Absolutely not, o think creating obstacles and then being surprised that people fail to overcome them is very unfair. And Nour did fight, he wanted to understand what happened that her heart turned away from him. And that’s the thing how could he be expected to fight for it when met w constant rejection. I don’t think it’s fair for H to say I did you a favour by creating this mess, that’s wild.
I do wish it was a different ending, I think they both cared for each other in their own way and I think Mrs H’s letter at the end supports my assumption. But I guess in the heat of the moment this was all it could be.
I think she would make the trip to see her son, and I think it’s good that she did bc she would have regretted it if she didn’t. I think any of the women would have done anything to look upon their son’s one last time that’s why they went to through the séance.
I thought it was her way of apologising for what she did and holding onto the food times they shared together.
Behind every man is a woman. That’s what I thought.
I don’t think it is, but even if it was, I don’t think so. She wrote herself in as the victor in an unwinnable situation, everyone likes an underdog so it wouldn’t change it for me.
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1. No. My feelings haven’t shifted. Her situation doesn’t justify any of her actions. Her behaviour was inexcusable.
2. I think she was vindictive enough to know what she was doing and saying. So no, I don’t think so.
3. No, I don’t. Soraya was there to do a job. But also, given how she treated Soraya while Soraya was in her employ, I think she had a nerve to expect kindness in the face of such unkindness.
4. No, I don’t think so.
5. Of course I don’t agree with Mrs Hattingh. She was meddling and acting maliciously whilst pretending to be Soraya. Her opinion on Nour is invalid in my eyes. She, while pretending to be Soraya, lied to Nour.
6. I think Soraya forcing Mrs Hattingh to face her wrongs and holding her accountable was the right thing to do. It shows grace on Soraya’s part.
7. She seems the type to run and hide from her wrongdoings, instead of facing it. So leaving makes sense, given how she was about appearances. However, I think her visiting her son makes sense as well. Of course she would want to see her son.
8. As a mom, I understood it. As a reader, I thought she had some nerve to even ask anything.
9. I thought it made complete sense. As mothers and wives, we carry some kind of influence, seen or not, when it comes to our families.
10. Given how therapeutic art can be, I would hope Soraya pens it. I think it would bring her healing. Would I see the story differently? I don’t think so. The artwork, I’m sure, would be beautiful, but the story behind it remains painful.
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1. I still felt angry on Soraya’s part. This has not changed my thoughts of Mrs. Hattingh from the first chapter. There was always another motive happening in the background.
2. I think she has always believed her lies as a way to cope with what happened with her son. She had to live her lie for so long it had to have come true at some point.
3. I don’t think that it was fair because it wasn’t part of her job requirement and then to some point Mrs Hattingh used her position to blackmail Soraya into these things.
4. I think that she would’ve taken the job had she known all of this was happening, she would have just been smarter on what she revealed to Mrs. Hattingh.
5. I don’t agree that this was a kindness because she did things to change Nour and Soraya’s lives without them having a say in it. I don’t agree with Mrs Hattingh as Nour did not know it was not Soraya he was speaking to and at the end of the day he respected her wishes.
6. I love that Soraya was bold enough to do this. So while I wish at the end of the day Mrs Hattingh got her dues for everything she put Soraya through I’m glad that she made her sit and think about what she has done.
7. Of course she had to move after what happened, as now everyone would know her lies, even those women she made believe her son was well after war.
8. The first thing I thought was that she was still making demands of Soraya.
9. I think that her mother will lead her in the right direction because of the fathers success and Soraya has the freedom to put her own spin on it.
10. I didn’t think of that – that would be an amazing twist to the end and it would change how I see the story as that would mean that Mrs Hattingh and her lies were just fiction.
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1. I feel extreme anger on behalf of Soraya.
I never liked Mrs. Hattingh, and now I like her even less.
2. Yes, she did, in a sense.
3. It was not fair to Soraya. It took so much from her.
4. If it is the truth about Timothy, then yes, I think she still would have taken the job because her family needed the money. But if she had known how Mrs. Hattingh would treat her, I think she would have turned it down.
5. No, I do not agree with Mrs. Hattingh. What she did was not kindness, it was control. I also do not think it is fair to say Nour did not fight for the relationship if he was being deceived. And no, I do not think the betrayal was worth it at all.
6. I think it was a somewhat cathartic end to their relationship.
I am not sure a different ending would have felt as satisfying.7. I think she told Soraya because she wanted Soraya to think a little better of her. As for visiting her son, I do not think she would actually have left the Cape. I think she would have stayed there forever.
8. I didn’t like it. It was just another thing that she was asking of Soraya.
9. I think it shows that her mother had more influence and importance than Soraya may have realised before. She was not just standing in the background; she was shaping things too. I think that adds another layer to her character and to Soraya’s understanding of her.
10. Yes, I think it is possible. It would change how I see the story. It would become something shaped by Soraya’s feelings and perspective, and I think that would make it even more powerful.
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1) I feel angry and disappointed for Soraya – everything she had feared has basically come to light. She was severely betrayed by Mrs. H. I think my thoughts on Mrs. H were actually solidified. She never felt genuine or honest from the beginning, and way too selfish.
2) I do think there was a point where she started believing in her lies and became totally delusional. I think this is what kept her going.
3) No that’s not fair. She’s her employee – not her friend or companion. It should not be her responsibility.
4) Yes – I think so. I do think Soraya acknowledged this in the beginning – that she would be her company. But maybe not to the extent she has become.
5) no – it was not kindness. It was selfis.
Nour did fight. He wrote letters and everything – but she hid them all away.6) I only wish Soraya had outed Mrs. H and her correspondence with Nour. Soraya is a better person than me.
7) the letter was a mixed conclusion but I think it was a fitting conclusion to their relationship. I wasn’t sure if Mrs. H would make the trip but I’m glad she did!
8) I get that she wants it – but I don’t think it’s fair she asks Soraya to carry on her/her son’s memory after all she did.
9) i think it’s very fitting. Female characters are very strong in this book and I think she should have known how influential her mother was.
10) for a long time I thought it was going to be! It explains the intensity and absurdity of some of the things.
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I feel an immense amount of rage and frustration on Soraya’s behalf. My thoughts of Mrs Hattingh have shifted. I thought she was a meek yet prideful old woman in need of help. I didn’t realise she’d be so manipulative and horrible.
She definitely did. Throughout the book, everything she said about Timothy had an underlying feel that it was just something she was saying to cope with the loss of her son/ her being in a state of denial to ignore the reality that her son is gone.
It was completely unfair, considering the secrets she’d hidden and the way she tried to isolate and destroy Soraya’s ties to her loved ones just so she could be there for Mrs Hattingh.
Definitely not. No job Mrs Hattingh would’ve offered would’ve been worth the mental anguish she put Soraya through.
Nope. I think this is just Mrs Hattingh manipulating the narrative to make it seem like her destroying Soraya’s relationship was for her benefit when really it just benfited Mrs Hattingh and her needs more. The betrayal to Soraya wasn’t worth it.
Oh, it was most definitely carthartic. Not only did Soraya reclaim her voice, but she blackmailed Mrs Hattingh in the best way possible to undo the wrongs she’s committed against Soraya.
Considering how she had nothing left for her in South Africa and she was requested to make the trip to see him, I knew she would’ve gone to spend time with Timothy. I thought she was overstepping it by sending Soraya a letter updating her on her life as if Soraya needed to be brought back into Mrs Hattingh’s world. But I’m glad she’s gone from the Cape.
Once again, she couldn’t help herself by trying to make a permanent mark on Soraya’s life. Soraya’s reaction to that request did not disappoint me.
I was actually really surprised by that. But it’s cool to think that Soraya’s new path was forged by a combination of her mother’s talent and her father’s teachings, hopes and dreams for her.
I hope it’s one of her stories, since it’s a testament to how she rose above all that control and injustice and reclaimed her voice and agency. It wouldn’t change how I view the story. Either way, the overall message of triumphing over oppression remains the same.
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At the start of Chapter Sixteen, Soraya takes a moment to digest everything she has learnt. What do you feel on behalf of Soraya? Have your thoughts about Mrs. Hattingh completely shifted from the beginning of the book?
Not really. Mrs. H has creeped me out from the beginning and this just solidified everything I felt towards her.
Mrs. Hattingh, once a woman who had everything together, now seems as lost as the other women who have lost their sons. Based on what she says in Chapter Sixteen, do you think there was a point where she even started to believe her own lies?
Definitely. She must have been so lost in her grief while trying to maintain her status that she started believing her own lies.
What do you think of the unspoken responsibility Mrs. Hattingh placed on Soraya to be her comfort and company? Do you think this was fair?
Not at all. I think it was just a continuation of Mrs. H’s manipulation that we see time and time again in this book.
Do you think that if Soraya had known the truth, she still would have taken the job at Heron Place?
No. She was already hesitant at the start.
Mrs. Hattingh tells Soraya that what she did to Soraya and Nour’s relationship was kindness. Do you agree with Mrs. Hattingh that Nour didn’t even fight for their relationship? Do you think this betrayal was worth it?
No. The letters showed that Nour tried to reach Soraya and it was Mrs. H that kept them apart.
Towards the end of Chapter Sixteen, Soraya forces Mrs. Hattingh to sit and right her wrongs. Do you think this is a cathartic conclusion to their relationship and everything they have been through together? Do you wish there was a different ending?
I think it’s good that Soraya gets this kind of ‘closure’ even though it really doesn’t make up for all of the injustices Mrs. H has forced Soraya to endure.
In Chapter Seventeen, Soraya receives a note from Mrs. Hattingh. What do you think of it? Did you think Mrs. Hattingh would have made the trip to see her son? Or did you think that she would stay in the Cape forever?
Despite my dislike for Mrs. Hattingh, I do hope she got to make the trip and see her son to also get a sense of closure on that front. I think after the confrontation with Soraya, she wouldn’t have stayed because she realised how much she has lost and what a horrible person she had become.
What do you think of the request she made of Soraya to get a snip of the lemon tree?
I understand where she is coming from but I found it really entitled that she did that considering everything she did to Soraya.
Soraya learns that her mother had a lot of influence in her father’s work and now in hers. What do you think of this?
It really made me miss my mom! Mothers are so important in society and so often overlooked, this moment gives power to Soraya’s mom and all her hard work over the years.
Do you think the story we read in Cape Fever might be one of Soraya’s stories she pens in her father’s room? Would that change how you see the story?
It could be, although I didn’t think about it that way initially. I’m not sure if it would change anything for me.
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