What do you think of the life Comrade Zee had lived? Are you surprised that Farah didn’t know much about her mother’s time in the struggle against apartheid?
When Uncle Momo was previously mentioned before Chapter Seven, did you suspect that there was something more between Uncle Momo and Farah’s mother?
What do you think of the letter exchanges between Uncle Momo and Farah’s mother? Are you disappointed in Uncle Momo’s response? Would you have done something differently?
Do you agree with Farah’s observations at the end of Chapter Seven?
What would your answer be to Farah’s question at the beginning of Chapter Eight?
Farah has a lot of questions regarding what to do with her life. Were you unsure like her or did you know from the get-go how you would like your life to unfold?
What do you think of Zaid’s interaction with Farah in Chapter Eight?
When Farah asks if she and Zaid are in a relationship, Zaid says not yet. What do you think of his reasoning?
Farah blurts out “I love you” to Zaid at the end of Chapter Eight? What are your thoughts? Was Zaid inconsiderate for not saying it back or was Farah jumping the gun here after everything Zaid had said?
Chapter Nine is filled with somber notes. What do you make of Farah’s mother saying her goodbyes at this stage?
In the moment where Farah talks about love and wanting to be loved, do you relate to this? Does it seem to you like Farah might be figuring out some aspects of her life?
What do you think of the gentle way Farah’s mum passed? Do you think she was just waiting to say all of her goodbyes?
4 responses to “Why Am I Like This? Day Three”
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1. I think that she lived a very hard life filled with struggles that she’s had to overcome; and the trauma that she went through has shaped her into who she is now. I’m honestly not surprised that Farah didn’t know much because many parents who struggled during apartheid want to shield/protect their children and not burden them with the realities of what they went through.
2. No I didn’t suspect anything. I just assumed he was like an older brother looking out for her.
3. The letters honestly broke my heart😭💔. Especially reading how much they went through and how much they needed one another. I was honestly disappointed but I tried really hard to understand his perspective. I haven’t been in that situation before but I do know that love makes us do crazy things so maybe I would have.
4. I do agree to a certain extent because she was still waiting in anticipation for him every Sunday. But she did build a life and did find love; maybe not romantically but she loved Farah.
5. A platonic “friend with benefits”. They’re there for moral and emotional support only.
6. I don’t think there’s a single person on the planet that has their entire life mapped out perfectly. I’ve needed a lot of moments of readjustment and finding clarity for the direction I want my life to take and there’s honestly nothing wrong with that.
7. He was being extremely shady and intentionally withholding information instead of being open and honest and I don’t blame Farah for being confused.
8. This to me felt like he was keeping her as a placeholder incase her needs a plan B so to speak. Because it gives her hope that they could potentially be a couple whilst also nullifying all that they’ve shared and how they’ve been with each other up until this point.
9. Farah needs to learn to love herself first before loving anyone else. Zaid was being extremely inconsiderate; but not for not saying it back but for pretending that he didn’t hear her at all.
10. I’ve heard that when a persons time is close that some seek to find finality on their own terms and when they sense that time is running out they will try and say goodbye to all their loved ones on their own terms. I think she needed to do this and if that helped her in her final moments then that’s great.
11. We all seek to be loved so that’s relatable. I think she’s on the road to self discovery and I’m happy for her.
12. I think it’s a peaceful way to die. I really do think she wanted the closure of saying her goodbyes before finally letting go.
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She lived a hard life of struggle and it made me extremely sympathetic for her. Zee was such an incredibly strong and bada$$ woman. Very inspiring.
I’m surprised she had no inkling of it but I also get why Zee hid it coz it’s traumatizing and very disturbing.Nope,I didn’t suspect that.
Zee definitely had way too much of angst in her life. I wish Momo fought better for her and their love.
In a way yeah
We finished the readalong a while ago so I honestly don’t remember what it was 😂🙈 sorry
At first I knew what I wanted but I went through some things in life and it changed everything, derailed my entire plans…
I think Zaid isn’t doing justice to Farah
His reasoning is absolutely stupid and makes no sense. He needs to get his shiz together and stop messing with Farah’s feelings.
The second hand embarrassment omg. Farah definitely jumped the gun there. She wears her heart on her sleeve. Their whole relationship is so messy
I think Zee was being realistic about death and she most likely felt something about it hence all the preparation.
Everyone wants to be loved so I think in some way we could all relate. Farah is still definitely figuring out a lot and that’s okay.
I felt so bad for Farah. Glad Zee passed away peacefully. Death is always hard though no matter what.
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It was both inspiring and heartbreaking to read about. I’m not surprised that Farah didn’t know the details of her mom’s past. Most children know about their parents’ pasts but not every single detail of it.
I definitely suspected that they probably had some sort of romantic relationship in the past, so it was nice to have it confirmed in this chapter. Reading their letters made me realise just how far the history and love went between them.
I think they were romantic in a forbidden lovers kind of way. I was a little disappointed by his reply and the outcome of their romance, but I’m glad we got in sight into how their values and views aligned outside of his familial obligations. It made me understand what Comrade Zee saw in him in the first place, a s provided some depth to his character.
I both agree and disagree. I agree that it’s Farah’s conclusion of what her mom’s life must have been like (based on what she knows) and while there may be some truth to a few of her observations, it’s not the whole story of her mother’s life; just an interpretation of the events that led her to where she is today as Farah’s mom.
“Someone who is messing around and wasting your time. Get a definitive answer on where you stand with this person and move on if they don’t provide the answer you are looking for.”
I always have two plans in mind for where my life will go. They’re constantly shifting and changing depending on how I feel, and there are a lot of other factors involved that leads me more to one than the other. So although I kind of knew from the get-go, the journey there has been filled with uncertainty and self-doubt that I powered through to get to where I am today😅💖
I made me cringe in the depths of my soul on Farah’s behalf. Not only has Zaid been giving her noncommittal answers, but his actions are coming off as more friendly when his words to Farah have this underlying romance to them. I can see why she’s confused on where they stand.
Although I haven’t liked his noncommittal answers lately, I appreciate that his reasoning is actually pretty solid. He seems like someone who genuinely has a lot going on and not wanting that added pressure of a new relationship while he’s sorting other problems in his life out is completely understandable.
That slip-up at the end was so painful to read that I had to put the book down for a bit. Jokes aside, I think Farah could’ve possibly jumped the gun there because she appreciated his friendly advice and commitment to helping her and misread that as love on his part.
It was sombre and yet her death caught me completely by surprise. Much like Farah, I thought it was just another one of her good days and she wanted to give everyone around her a positive memory of her to hold onto. I didn’t realise she was saying her goodbyes.
I relate to it a lot. I used to have this huge need to be loved by everyone around me while channeling all of my love into them.
It was a jarring and realistic portrayal of people with dementia who pass away quietly. I definitely think Farah’s mom was waiting to say her goodbyes to her loved ones and was content before she left.
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Comrade Zee has had a hard life filed with struggles that made her the person she us today.
Im not surprised that Farah didn’t know much maybe due to not wanting to stress her mum out further
No, i didnt suspect a thing. I just assumed he was some familiar figure in their life
The letters exchanged was a sad exchange of the time they went through
Ive honestly had an idea of what I wanted to do, but life had another part
Zaid was initially shady
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