Magic! This book is magic. It's the kind of book where you just want to give the author a Nobel Prize and let her rule the world because she just gets how it's supposed to be. Her book "Flying in Place" is a riveting, heartwrenching story of a young girl in a horrifying family situation. It was the kind of really good book that's really hard to read -- and I didn't even have children when I read it.The Necessary Beggar is quite a different book. The family in question is colourful and close-knit, and they come from a world called Lemabantunk (bit of a mouthful). Their world is primitive by many of our standards, but beautiful and enlightened -- most people spend a year as a Mendicant, a sacred beggar who lives by the kindness of strangers. Weddings include the Ritual of the Necessary Beggar, which is a reminder of civic duty and a fertility rite, reminding the couple that they must welcome their children as 'squalling strangers'. At the beginning of the story, the family has been exiled from their world through a gate which leads to other worlds, and leads them to ours. The reason for their exile is the supposed murder by Darroti of a sacred beggar woman named Gallicina.The family comes into our world and is immediately interned in a refugee camp in a war-riven and fear-filled near future. The story revolves around the different reactions of the family members to their exile and their new life, and the people whose kindness helps them start over. There are also flashbacks to their old world and its legends and rituals, and the real story of what happened with Darroti and Gallicina. Zamatryna, one of the youngest members of the family, plays a pivotal role in the family's search for redemption.The themes of exile and immigration, transgression and forgiveness, are sensitively treated in this book. I love the blessing of the Necessary Beggar: "For what you have given me, your errors and those of all your kin are forgiven. For charity heals shortcoming, and kindness heals carelessness, and hearts heal hurt." Okay, maybe it's a little simplistic. I was interested by the fact that the Utopian world of Lemabantunk was so far behind our world technologically as well -- is there an accepted perception in sci-fi/fantasy that technology equals some sort of fatal fall? Are we doomed to a world of war and alienation if we drive cars and use microwaves? Whatever -- the story was beautiful, and uplifting. I wanted it to be real.
I was very skeptic about this book because I got it almost blindly, carried away by the short story about it form the back of the book (actually it was inside of the covers). I thought it would be more adventurous alike, therefore I was a bit disappointed by reading all the religious stuff, especially in the beginning/middle of it. But I guess this just came to me out of nowhere crashing my expectations. Which was in a way good. No one wants to read something they think can predict from the beginning, right? That's the only thing that kinda made me think about the whole book. But in the end, even thought the book had too much religion for my taste (not that I have something against it), and it wasn't adventurous as I thought it would be, it still turned out as a great, touchy, love story book. I wasn't expecting such a love story. So, after all I was indeed enjoying big time, got so much into it, that I even got teary eyes on multiple times, and especially by the end. What I liked the most is how Palwick explains and points the importance of the family and how they should stick together; how should families give unconditional love no matter what. I found a strong message in that. Families nowadays forgets about their bond.The book is basically modern life, family and love story thingy but mixed between two worlds, two dimensions. I think it's a good thing to be read.
Do You like book The Necessary Beggar (2005)?
Some graphic sexual situations that still bother me months later. That was very diappointing since I appreciated the ponderous character of the grandfather and what he had to say. Did not finish reading, mainly because the passionate relationship became based solely on sex and severly lacked trust--resulting in death and exile. Was afraid the book would condone those relationships despite the consequences (saying the consequences were tragic but there was nothing wrong with the journey that led them there).
—Mindy
This short sci-fi/magical realist novel is about an extended family who, because one of their members commits a heinous crime, is exiled from their world into more-or-less present-day America. They progress from a refugee camp to a comfortable life in suburban Reno, all the while trying to understand both the events that brought them there and the nature of their new home. While the plot does give a nod to the conventions of the successful immigrant narrative (the older generation finds artisan or low-skill work, the younger generation achieves wild academic success that will lead them to lucrative white-collar careers, etc.), it also weaves together elements of romance and ghost stories. The use of the fantastical elements allowed Palwick to make several points about the experience of immigration and assimilation without becoming heavy-handed. The prose style is on the simplistic and straightforward side, but it did give the book the feeling of a fable or folktale.
—Carol
This book is a Gem. It has just the right amount of everything in it; it's the beginning of perfect.I don't remember why I picked The Necessary Beggar to read... probably because it was on one of NPR's suggested reading lists (it fits with the liberal agenda thing). Anyway, after having already checked it out from the library, I decided that I didn't think I'd like the story. So I came here to goodreads and read reviews about it and really decided that I wouldn't like it. There are very few Sci-Fi books that I can get into....Yet. The Necessary Beggar is a story about the loss of a beautiful culture. It's about people who come from a place where family means something and the dead are revered and loved... where ones soul is visible, a malleable thing and no one feels the need to disrupt that. One's highest honor is to take a year and live as a beggar - as is the custom to receive nourishment from strangers. It's a place that exiles a person for murder... which is what happens, but because the family unit is everything, the criminal's family goes into exile with him. They arrive outside Reno, Nevada, USA circa 2022. And they suffer the death of their way of life. The story itself is sad, so sad... as the various characters try with every ounce of strength they have, to hold on to their identity. And incorporate their American identity as well.I’ll recommend the book to everyone, really. I think it can even be considered a YA novel…
—Heidi
