For this blog post, I chose to read Foreign Bodies, by Peregrine Hodson from the Granta Magazine, Edition 46 under Essays and Memoir published March 1st, 1994.
The short story revolves around a horrible crime that occurred when a group of friends went to vacation in Morocco. There were four friends: Amanda, Roddy, Jane, and the narrator, who is dating Jane. As soon as the story begins, the narrator makes it clear that Amanda has gone home early because she missed her dog. The narrator also makes it clear that Roddy and him are friends, and that although Jane and him have been dating for three years, they know they will not be together forever and will eventually break up. While there, they have sexual intercourse, but both know that there is not a real connection there and it will end soon- probably when they return from the vacation.
On the last night there, they decide to go to the beach and watch the waves hit the coast. While there, a French guy comes and offers to smoke kif with them, which they agree. They engage in conversation, and eventually, two of the French guy’s friends join them. Their names are never given, so in the table, I simply call them “man one” and “man two”. As time passes, two more of the French guy’s friends come and they are soldiers. One is described to be thin and the other tall. In the table, I refer to them as “thin soldier” and “tall soldier.
When the narrator notices that they begin to speak in Arabic together, he gets a bad feeling and decides they should leave. As they begin to pack their things, the French guy attacks him. He tells Roddy to go find help and as he runs away, “man one” and “man two” run after him. The French guy keeps the narrator pinned to the floor and forces him to watch as his soldier friends take turns raping Jane.
After the rape is concluded, they all leave and the narrator is left with Jane, who is hurt. He holds her as they watch the waves and wait for Roddy to return (assuming he has outrun both men and will return).
I created a table on Google Fusion tables, which you can find here: Connections
Disclaimer: Creating a table linking everyone was difficult, mainly because very few of the characters knew one another or had any real connections. There are other limitations, such as knowing whether or not the French guy’s soldier friends and the other friends knew one another or were summoned there by the French guy. Additionally, we do not know how strong their bond is, though I am assuming it is strong if they planned a rape together. Additionally, because the details in this story were slim, there was no way to know the length of their relationship either.