Take a photo of a barcode or cover
dark
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book took me years to read, in part because I lost it for two years, but also because the prose is so pithy, you might find yourself Googling the meanings of words or phrases, in English or otherwise, to ensure a full understanding of what's going on, and even then, some of the meaning remains hidden. This one requires a second read to understand fully, and I might undertake that once I have retired.
This is a misunderstood book; because it depicts the actions of a pedophile, though never explicitly, it has enjoyed much contentious discourse over the years. I think Nabokov perfectly embodies the thought processes of monstrous people like Humbert, people who, despite their unbelievable transgressions, are still people, and have to deal with that aspect of their being. Humbert thinks highly of himself and lowly of most of the people he comes across. He is an old-world European in tacky-ass 1940s America and throughout the book, it's clear he feels as though this place is below him. But that doesn't make it easy for him to excuse his own pedophilic behavior. Instead, he mythologizes it, as if pedophilia is actually a dignified, understandable, and rare phenomenon that occurs only when sensuous "nymphets" encourage it to. He rarely blames himself entirely for his actions, usually only once they have already taken their toll on the people around him. Meanwhile, Dolores' identity and her development of it are stymied and compacted into the reductive image Humbert has of her, until she eventually escapes. Unfortunately, as you might expect, it is a pyrrhic victory.
I have never read a book like this and I was blown away by every page. The horrible shit in this book is presented in some of the most expertly crafted and translated prose to be pressed, and I am impressed.
This is a misunderstood book; because it depicts the actions of a pedophile, though never explicitly, it has enjoyed much contentious discourse over the years. I think Nabokov perfectly embodies the thought processes of monstrous people like Humbert, people who, despite their unbelievable transgressions, are still people, and have to deal with that aspect of their being. Humbert thinks highly of himself and lowly of most of the people he comes across. He is an old-world European in tacky-ass 1940s America and throughout the book, it's clear he feels as though this place is below him. But that doesn't make it easy for him to excuse his own pedophilic behavior. Instead, he mythologizes it, as if pedophilia is actually a dignified, understandable, and rare phenomenon that occurs only when sensuous "nymphets" encourage it to. He rarely blames himself entirely for his actions, usually only once they have already taken their toll on the people around him. Meanwhile, Dolores' identity and her development of it are stymied and compacted into the reductive image Humbert has of her, until she eventually escapes. Unfortunately, as you might expect, it is a pyrrhic victory.
I have never read a book like this and I was blown away by every page. The horrible shit in this book is presented in some of the most expertly crafted and translated prose to be pressed, and I am impressed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Xenophobia