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yichen 's review for:
Simple Passion (India)
by Annie Ernaux
bought this from a tiny little local independent bookshop in rural highland scotland. great read tbh and i was drawn to this mostly because of the minimalist edition i got and that annie ernaux won the nobel prize for literature.
a short book about her 2 year affair with a married man, it was nothing short of vulnerable, yet bluntly direct and a hit in the face. i read through this in about an hour, and by the time i got to the end of the actual story section (ernaux dubs this the “past”) i was asking questions like: ok so what’s the point of this? what is there to takeaway from this story about your affair? and i think it was answered perfectly in the “present” or epilogue of the book. ernaux’s vulnerability about her deep desire and passion towards A. may seem overdramatic and indignified. however i argue that one’s passion/desire no matter how insignificant or shameful to others can mean a lot to oneself and rightfully so, barring judgement. ernaux writes about her desire so well, and the impact which people have on our lives no matter how insignificant they may have seemed.
“when i was a child, luxury was fur coats, evening dresses, and villas by the sea. later on, i thought it meant leading the life of an intellectual. now i feel that it is also being able to live out a passion for a man or a woman.”
a short book about her 2 year affair with a married man, it was nothing short of vulnerable, yet bluntly direct and a hit in the face. i read through this in about an hour, and by the time i got to the end of the actual story section (ernaux dubs this the “past”) i was asking questions like: ok so what’s the point of this? what is there to takeaway from this story about your affair? and i think it was answered perfectly in the “present” or epilogue of the book. ernaux’s vulnerability about her deep desire and passion towards A. may seem overdramatic and indignified. however i argue that one’s passion/desire no matter how insignificant or shameful to others can mean a lot to oneself and rightfully so, barring judgement. ernaux writes about her desire so well, and the impact which people have on our lives no matter how insignificant they may have seemed.
“when i was a child, luxury was fur coats, evening dresses, and villas by the sea. later on, i thought it meant leading the life of an intellectual. now i feel that it is also being able to live out a passion for a man or a woman.”