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In “The Sukiyaki Book Club,” the unnamed writer is the author currently writing Avery’s story. The book doesn’t explicitly state this, but the unnamed writer seems to be a stand-in for Maxine Beneba Clarke, author of Foreign Soil, a fact the story alludes to in its brief reference to “Harlem Jones,” another of the collection’s stories and purportedly one the unnamed writer has written. The unnamed writer laments “not know[ing] how to rescue Avery gently” and fears that Avery’s story can only end in tragedy. This seems to be a dismal nod to how systemic racism and inequality rob Black youths (like Avery, and like the unnamed narrator’s children, Markie and Maryam) of the innocence that children with more privilege are free to enjoy. After the unnamed writer observes her own children’s “small brown bodies” appear so carefree as they sing and dance in the shower, she ends Avery’s story on an unexpectedly happy note: Avery lets go of the monkey bars and miraculously manages to land upright, unharmed. This suggests that though children like Avery and the unnamed writer’s children may experience hardship and injustice, they can persevere and feel happiness and hope for a better, more just future.
The Unnamed Writer Quotes in Foreign Soil
The Foreign Soil quotes below are all either spoken by The Unnamed Writer or refer to The Unnamed Writer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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The Sukiyaki Book Club Quotes
Markie’s prep class performed the song for their school assembly item last year. The teacher taught them to sing it jovially, with an upbeat tempo, swaying with joy. “Sukiyaki,” his teacher had called it, the easier name the song was given when it reached Western shores. Even after we did the research on the history of the song and Markie presented it for Tuesday Show and Tell, the teacher still insisted on having the kids smile through it, as if they were singing “Happy Birthday”: a song about a man overwhelmed with despair.
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This story is not going to be sent out, in any case. Most likely never even completed. Certainly not published and read. Because Avery is hanging upside down, and it will all end in tragedy. The only way down is for a scared little girl to hurt herself. I do not know how to rescue Avery gently.
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Get the entire Foreign Soil LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Unnamed Writer Character Timeline in Foreign Soil
The timeline below shows where the character The Unnamed Writer appears in Foreign Soil. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Sukiyaki Book Club
Down the hallway from the narrator’s ( the unnamed writer ) bedroom, the narrator’s kid watches a silly kids’ show on TV. The narrator knows...
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Below the apartment, Irving Street is abuzz with commuters. The narrator ( the unnamed writer ) looks out the window and sees an old Vietnamese man playing a violin outside...
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Back at the apartment, the narrator ( the unnamed writer ) stares out the window at the evening traffic. The rumbling sound of a passing...
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The unnamed writer is worried for Avery. She imagines a strange man approaching Avery and harming her. The...
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The unnamed writer considers that Avery’s story was supposed to be about love. Just then, Markie runs in,...
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Meanwhile, the unnamed writer ushers Markie and Maryam toward the apartment’s miniscule bathroom for shower time, promising that the...
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