I've been reading Satantango by László Krasznahorkai, and it is formatted in an unusual way, in that it is basically a wall of text with no paragraph breaks. While this sounds odd, and annoying to read (it was at first) it gives the words a kind of overwhelmingness, and endless pressure and urgency that really …
when you want them to fail
I've just started listening to The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, which is about a missionary family traveling to the Congo. I'm only a short way in, but I'm feeling a sort of anticipation for all the horrible things I know are going to happen to these people. They are described with just the right …
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
This fantastical little story was my first experience with Gaiman, and it wasn't a super good one for me. The story is about a middle aged man who, after attending a funeral, goes back to his childhood home to walk around and remember stuff. The rest of the book is him remembering some crazy things …
Continue reading "The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman"
Resurrection, by Leo Tolstoy
I just finished this one, my first Tolstoy, chosen because it's the shortest novel he wrote. The story is about a nobleman in 1880, Nekhlyudov, who finds himself on a jury. One of the accused is a woman he knew in is past, and who he wronged when he was young. While watching the trial he …
A clear idea of right and wrong
I've been listening to Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy, my first Tolstoy, and am enjoying the lack of moral relativism. It's somehow refreshing to have a narrator with a clear opinion of what is evil and what is good, and a character who also knows this and is trying to be good. All the shades of …
Jonas David 