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otherwiseemily 's review for:
Disgrace
by J.M. Coetzee
Woof, this was not the book that I thought I was getting into. It came highly regarded by a coworker that has given me other book recommendations, but I was a little hesitant after reading blurbs. I’m glad that I read it but, wow, this is a heavy book that will stick with me for a long time.
I borrowed the copy I read from the Yale library. It was marked up by a previous student that I presume (perhaps ungraciously) was a younger undergraduate. Sometimes I was irked by what they chose to focus on but was often struck that what resonated with them seemed relatively trivial to me in the broader context of the story; yes, this story is loaded with symbolism, but what about the subtle changes in the narrator? His shifting view, wading through the multiple layers of not only blatant symbolic devices but the fascinating kaleidoscopic way that Coetzee explores the true meaning of “disgrace?” Facing the notes and underlines of a likely younger reader, I couldn’t help wondering how this book must read to someone closer to the narrator’s age and someone well past it— surely what I cling to would seem trivial, too. For that reason I have to imagine that I will pick this book up again and again... it is well-written, so very sad, and ultimately a compelling exploration.
I borrowed the copy I read from the Yale library. It was marked up by a previous student that I presume (perhaps ungraciously) was a younger undergraduate. Sometimes I was irked by what they chose to focus on but was often struck that what resonated with them seemed relatively trivial to me in the broader context of the story; yes, this story is loaded with symbolism, but what about the subtle changes in the narrator? His shifting view, wading through the multiple layers of not only blatant symbolic devices but the fascinating kaleidoscopic way that Coetzee explores the true meaning of “disgrace?” Facing the notes and underlines of a likely younger reader, I couldn’t help wondering how this book must read to someone closer to the narrator’s age and someone well past it— surely what I cling to would seem trivial, too. For that reason I have to imagine that I will pick this book up again and again... it is well-written, so very sad, and ultimately a compelling exploration.