It's almost a different book...

So in our group and then class discussion on friday, we talked about the book of Exodus (or what we had read of it.) The main topic of our discussion within my small group was how different this section of the book was so different from everything we had read. The entire first half of the book was set in a small village in the Congo. Each chapter didn't vary much from the next. Each section was more like retelling the story of what the previous sister had said, but just from a different perspective. The farthest jump ahead they would make would be maybe a week or two; at most a month. That is why is was so surprising for us to jump in to Exodus where each section could be years, even decades ahead of the previous. For example, things like Rachel having 3 husbands and Leah getting married to Anatole and having a few kids of her own pass by almost without notice. If Leah had gotten married in previous chapters, like in Revelations, then I can bet the wedding would take up at least a few pages of it's own, not just half a sentence. It's almost like Exodus was written as an aftermath of Kilanga and a completely different book all on its own, though having no substance without the first half it's attatched to.

Next we had our class talk on it and everyone had their own opinion on whether or not they liked this portion of the book better than the last. In my opinion, I really like the fast paced nature of Exodus. It makes it more interesting and exciting to read. It moves faster and I don't find myself thinking "Hadn't I just read this?" It keeps me more engaged because I have to connect the dots myself. How long has it been now? Ok, so Adah is doing what now? Rachel has had HOW many husbands?! It's awsome to see their lives change and how each conforms into their own mold of what they think being an adult is. My favorite part of Exodus, which describes how each girl grew up, is when it mentions the Hope Chests that the daughters made back in Kilanga. Rachel's chest was full of frilly and many things, appropriate for her frilly and many husbands. Leah's chest had a few but important things, which is perfect for the one man she marries. As for Adah and Ruth May, Adah just embroidered napkins which she "threw to the wind" with the exact attitude she had towards true love: useless. Ruth May was exempt from making one, and it turns out she never got the opportunity to use one anyways.