A review by natashavand
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

4.0

I have enjoyed every novel I've read by Nabokov so far. However, "Lolita" took me about 2.5 years to finally finish. It was a constant stop and go, but not because the book was grueling or poorly written. The problem was that the book was TOO well written. It was so eerie and disturbing that I would have to stop and take a break from the book to properly digest what I was reading. Even though Nabokov is never explicit in what occurs to Lolita, the implications and thought process behind her rape is truly unnerving. It's a classic case of show, don't tell. And it shows a lot.

All of that being said, "Lolita" is a truly incredible novel. The psychotic breakdown of Humbert Humbert is remarkable and so believably written. I love novels with unreliable narrators and had a blast trying to figure out what the real story in H.H.'s confession was. It reminded me heavily of the insanity laced throughout Nabokov's novel "Pale Fire," which I believe to be the superior novel. I also loved how none of the characters in "Lolita" were particularly likable, and yet the story itself was so well told that I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know how it all ended.

I have to give this book 4 stars and not 5 simply because I have a Nabokov novel I prefer to this and because I was unable to read the book without stopping. The journey is worth it, but the story will sit with you and creep in the back of your mind like the longest, heaviest season of SVU.