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A review by _marco_
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I was not planning on reading this book, it just happened. Which is why I think I enjoyed it as much as I did. This is also my first Milan Kundera, and I know it will definitely not be my last.
I want to start by stating how much I loved Kundera's writing. It is a narrative and a diary, fiction and autobiography, a treatise on existence and meaning, and yet impossibly easy to read. His flow of thoughts, ideas, and stories from one to the next is incredibly organic, organic enough to feel like I, the reader, am part of a dialogue. This is perhaps the first book I've read in which I felt involved with the author, as if we were sitting for a chat over coffee, or at least a public lecture. I was also blown away by the uniqueness, innovation, and stark ingenuity of Kundera's various and layered metaphors. "As infinite as an open accordion" and "the open eye of her naked backside" were two of my favourites, if not for their novelty, then for the heavy precision of nuance with which they convey meaning. The subtle poetry, the simplicity and airiness of style, and the exactitude with which words are chosen places Kundera in my personal pantheon of favourite authors.
I want to start by stating how much I loved Kundera's writing. It is a narrative and a diary, fiction and autobiography, a treatise on existence and meaning, and yet impossibly easy to read. His flow of thoughts, ideas, and stories from one to the next is incredibly organic, organic enough to feel like I, the reader, am part of a dialogue. This is perhaps the first book I've read in which I felt involved with the author, as if we were sitting for a chat over coffee, or at least a public lecture. I was also blown away by the uniqueness, innovation, and stark ingenuity of Kundera's various and layered metaphors. "As infinite as an open accordion" and "the open eye of her naked backside" were two of my favourites, if not for their novelty, then for the heavy precision of nuance with which they convey meaning. The subtle poetry, the simplicity and airiness of style, and the exactitude with which words are chosen places Kundera in my personal pantheon of favourite authors.
People fascinated by the idea of progress never suspect that every step forward is also a step on the way to the end and that behind all joyous "onward and upward" slogans lurks the lascivious voice of death urging us to make haste.
I loved the topic of this book as well. Laughter and forgetting, in other words, meaninglessness, and the human condition of living directly on that frontier between gravity and weightlessness. (read the book, and I promise that the nonsense I'm spewing will make sense). This theme is taken up in 7 variations and expanded upon therein. Each section follows a different set of characters in their own milieu, contextualised by the author's first person voice, and all placed in the wider political stage of 1960s and 70s Czechia. Every section of the book felt like a light meal to be chewed up and swallowed; to be pondered and scrutinised, to be reflected upon, and re-read in order to savour every last detail, every nuance and every meaning (or every non-meaning). This is a philosophical treatise made digestible as fiction.
As with most things I read, I highly recommend this book. Given the open-endedness with which Kundera writes, I also suggest reading this book with a friend or as part of a book club. I would have gotten so much more out of the novel with a bit of discussion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Pedophilia
Minor: Death of parent
A good portion of the book goes off into describing sexual experiences. However, I don't think that it's the same as smut. These scenes weren't necessarily meant to be arousing, but reflective, philosophical, and contemplative. This, of course, means that it would be much weirder than your average spicy romance.
I didn’t necessarily find the misogyny that I had been told about coming from the voice of the author, but it definitely exists coming from his characters. However, women in this book are often depicted with reductionist theory, meaning their actions and choices are explained just by their biology. I wasn’t too much a fan of that, and it is a little hard to look past.
I should also mention a very strange series of scenes that involve an adult character and an island of children. Whether the events that transpire necessarily constitute rape or exploitation is subject to debate, but be aware that it is very, very strange, and personally, I found it alarming.