I love your Sherlock Holmes parallels between parts 2 and 8! You laid it out so well, thank you! The other parallels I totally agree with and I might also suggest a couple more... Happiness keeps recurring: ch 21 Niamh's shirt "I'd rather be happy than dignified," ch26 the joyful meditation, ch27 the chant (in English),"May all beings everywhere be happy" are paralleled with ch103 Qing's "ecstasy" over a chocolate biscuit and "looking as though she was experiencing nirvana" eating pizza, and even Will (in ch 111), according to Pat, "seemed happier being out of that tracksuit." A related parallel is Strike's "familiar depression dogging him"(ch 28) and Robin feeling "far more frightened than at any time since leaving Chapman Farm...consumed by dread of the Drowned Prophet" even after recognizing other fallacies in UHC beliefs (ch 111). This is also related to parallels of the irrational: ch 34 "Robin felt an irrational pride in Wace's approval." Ch118 Strike "had the irrational conviction that the car was about to explode." And this dovetails nicely with the "idiotic" parallels: ch 21 Niamh talking about her dad's "mad" behavior, thinking "he could join the church and have the bits he liked, and leave the rest, which was idiotic..." and ch 104 Strike "everyone else is a bloody idiot." Robin "the police, the coastguard, the witnesses and the coroner? They're all bloody idiots?" Strike "you're the one who said the UHC have got away with it because everyone thought them a 'bit weird, but harmless.' Too many people, even intelligent ones--no, especially intelligent ones-- presume innocence when they meet weirdness. 'Bit odd, but I mustn't let my prejudices cloud my judgement.'... a kid disappears off the face of the earth, and the whole story's bloody odd, but the robes and the mystic bullshit get in the way, and nobody wants to look like a bigot, so they say, "strange, going paddling in the North Sea at five in the morning, but I s'pose that's the kind of thing people like that do..." And again in ch 119 at 2 am Strike " this is the fifth time we've spoken to police about the UHC and suspicious activity around our office...I'd appreciate it if you stopped looking at me like I'm a fucking idiot." Another one is hunger: in ch26, 34 and 35 Robin is "hollow with hunger... craving food... aching with hunger." In ch 103 Will devours pizza "ravenously." In ch 111 Pat has read The Hungry Caterpillar to Qing. In ch 118 Strike's "extremely hungry" and in ch 121 Strike announces again "I'm hungry." And here's a fun one: ways to screw up Strike's first name: a drunk Abigail in ch 28,"See ya, Crameron-- Cormarion.." and a ego-drunk Rufus in ch 108 "This is Cormorant Strike?" Robin,"Cormoran Strike," (and she still needed to confirm, "not the bird.") Cormarion has some very interesting investigative and psychic meanings, including a belief in law and order, but funnily enough, it's a coincidence lol.
In the turtle-back lines Robin's interview with Rufus and later interrogation by Ryan totally stinks of Matthew. Rufus is "suspicious and grudging ... speaking with pugnacious pride" while Ryan, bothered she spent the night in the office, "spoke with the same edge in his voice Matthew had." Both men are very annoying but Ryan is particularly disappointing. Robin tells him "I've done this shit before, and I'm not going to do it again." Well, we'll see.
If there's another parallel between chs 104-105 and 118-119 other than weaponized, angry people, it's the "bloody idiot" in ch 104 and a "fucking idiot" in ch 119. In both chapters Strike is frustrated with people, especially police, who are so incredulous, "a church has got it in for you?" It's no easy task getting them on board with the ugly facts.
I love your Sherlock Holmes parallels between parts 2 and 8! You laid it out so well, thank you! The other parallels I totally agree with and I might also suggest a couple more... Happiness keeps recurring: ch 21 Niamh's shirt "I'd rather be happy than dignified," ch26 the joyful meditation, ch27 the chant (in English),"May all beings everywhere be happy" are paralleled with ch103 Qing's "ecstasy" over a chocolate biscuit and "looking as though she was experiencing nirvana" eating pizza, and even Will (in ch 111), according to Pat, "seemed happier being out of that tracksuit." A related parallel is Strike's "familiar depression dogging him"(ch 28) and Robin feeling "far more frightened than at any time since leaving Chapman Farm...consumed by dread of the Drowned Prophet" even after recognizing other fallacies in UHC beliefs (ch 111). This is also related to parallels of the irrational: ch 34 "Robin felt an irrational pride in Wace's approval." Ch118 Strike "had the irrational conviction that the car was about to explode." And this dovetails nicely with the "idiotic" parallels: ch 21 Niamh talking about her dad's "mad" behavior, thinking "he could join the church and have the bits he liked, and leave the rest, which was idiotic..." and ch 104 Strike "everyone else is a bloody idiot." Robin "the police, the coastguard, the witnesses and the coroner? They're all bloody idiots?" Strike "you're the one who said the UHC have got away with it because everyone thought them a 'bit weird, but harmless.' Too many people, even intelligent ones--no, especially intelligent ones-- presume innocence when they meet weirdness. 'Bit odd, but I mustn't let my prejudices cloud my judgement.'... a kid disappears off the face of the earth, and the whole story's bloody odd, but the robes and the mystic bullshit get in the way, and nobody wants to look like a bigot, so they say, "strange, going paddling in the North Sea at five in the morning, but I s'pose that's the kind of thing people like that do..." And again in ch 119 at 2 am Strike " this is the fifth time we've spoken to police about the UHC and suspicious activity around our office...I'd appreciate it if you stopped looking at me like I'm a fucking idiot." Another one is hunger: in ch26, 34 and 35 Robin is "hollow with hunger... craving food... aching with hunger." In ch 103 Will devours pizza "ravenously." In ch 111 Pat has read The Hungry Caterpillar to Qing. In ch 118 Strike's "extremely hungry" and in ch 121 Strike announces again "I'm hungry." And here's a fun one: ways to screw up Strike's first name: a drunk Abigail in ch 28,"See ya, Crameron-- Cormarion.." and a ego-drunk Rufus in ch 108 "This is Cormorant Strike?" Robin,"Cormoran Strike," (and she still needed to confirm, "not the bird.") Cormarion has some very interesting investigative and psychic meanings, including a belief in law and order, but funnily enough, it's a coincidence lol.
In the turtle-back lines Robin's interview with Rufus and later interrogation by Ryan totally stinks of Matthew. Rufus is "suspicious and grudging ... speaking with pugnacious pride" while Ryan, bothered she spent the night in the office, "spoke with the same edge in his voice Matthew had." Both men are very annoying but Ryan is particularly disappointing. Robin tells him "I've done this shit before, and I'm not going to do it again." Well, we'll see.
If there's another parallel between chs 104-105 and 118-119 other than weaponized, angry people, it's the "bloody idiot" in ch 104 and a "fucking idiot" in ch 119. In both chapters Strike is frustrated with people, especially police, who are so incredulous, "a church has got it in for you?" It's no easy task getting them on board with the ugly facts.