{"id":4724,"date":"2018-10-10T05:00:26","date_gmt":"2018-10-10T12:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=4724"},"modified":"2018-10-08T19:01:55","modified_gmt":"2018-10-09T02:01:55","slug":"mark-reads-going-postal-chapter-4-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2018\/10\/mark-reads-going-postal-chapter-4-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘Going Postal’: Chapter 4, Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first half of the fourth chapter of Going Postal<\/i>, Moist learns some truths, and then makes a decision to go ahead with this whole postmaster thing anyway. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Discworld<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So… what the hell is happening in the Post Office? I admit I have no real theory here, despite that I felt like I had a decent grasp on what was going on in this book. Yeah, that whole actually<\/i> being prepared for this book thing? Clearly, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not. Because how do four postmasters fall mysteriously with nothing<\/i> around them? How did the fifth experience an industrial accident that more or less made him explode? Why is it that Groat doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem all that bothered by this, but Stanley does<\/i>?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just so much mystery here. Why was Mr. Sideburn wandering about the post office so late at night? Did he hear something and go to check it out? Mr. Ignavia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death makes no sense to me because by all appearances, he died of fright <\/i>up on the fifth floor. But how could nothingness<\/i> frighten him? I believe Angua if she says that there was no one near him. So… what did he see? Is it related to the weird whispers?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Mr. Whobblebury who confuses me the most, and look… I got nothing. Not a theory, not a hypothesis, not a shred of an idea. Because what the FUCK. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in a post office that could cause an accident so terrible that the Watch took the only<\/i> key to access the room where he died? I mean… maybe machinery? Some experiment? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fucking know<\/i>.<\/p>\n

So, while I freak out about that<\/i> mystery, I did want to say that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been reading the comments and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s helped shape my perception of Stanley. While I was reading, I did note that Moist didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exactly make \u00e2\u20ac\u0153friends\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with Stanley by ending his panic with a pin. And for what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth, the very next sentence directly notes that Moist is manipulating this kid. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a nice thing to do in a direct sense, but as someone who has really terrible anxiety and panic attacks, I have<\/i> appreciated friends who have managed to change the subject during a triggering conversation so as to stop a potential attack. The context isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the same, and, of course, these are actual<\/i> friends, not someone who is taking advantage of me in the moment. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I read out of this situation: I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think Moist actually<\/i> cares about Stanley or Groat. Hell, does he care about anyone<\/i>? I feel pretty good stating that Moist doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t allow himself to have genuine friends, so I expect him to treat everyone this way: as tools, as things to be utilized for his own needs.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And Mr. Groat is on to him, too! He caught Moist in a lie about the cobbles on Market Street. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t imagine that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the only lie he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to notice, either. Has Moist ever had to spend this much time with the same people?<\/p>\n

At the very least, though, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s aware that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not really a viable way for him to escape this, so he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s committing to being the postmaster general. (And I gotta say, I bet Vetinari thought of that.) But he does it his<\/i> way, and his unmistakable talent as a conman plays into his plan to revitalize the Post Office. So where does he start? By threatening the hairdresser who stole the five missing letters from the sign outside. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s as good a place to start as any, you know??? WHY NOT. And it makes me excited to see what other weird, wacky shit Moist is going to do that no one else thought to do. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s used to living his life as a fraud, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s utilizing those skills for something… not fraudulent.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is gonna be great, I CAN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T WAIT.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/3ZvedQsKBj4<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now out in the world!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"