Books Left: 94

After losing my first copy on an airplane and taking my sweet time to read through the rest, I’m finally finished with Iris Murdoch’s Under the Net. I usually don’t touch on the lives of authors when I write in the blog, mainly because I don’t want to fall under the “what is the author saying here?” trap. I’m mentioning Iris briefly because I found it fascinating that she wrote so many books. There was also a “controversial” biography written about her by someone who apparently didn’t care for her much. A film was made about her life in 2002 starring Kate Winslet. I haven’t seen it, but I want to now because I like biopics and I like Kate Winslet. I fear though that the movie will get me in tears, because Murdoch dies from Alzheimer’s Disease. Nothing quite gets me sobbing like horrible dementias. (I cried for about a half hour after I watched Awakenings.)

Is the book well written?

Let me say this: it isn’t poorly written. I never found myself noticing any particularly profound language, perhaps with the exception of the short passage where Jack sends a drunken letter to his ex in the mail (which I read out-loud in the video post). I liked the description of the letters falling down once the sender has let go. It’s more physical than sending a text message, where you just type a few words, hit send, and somehow know that in seconds they are appearing on someone else’s phone perhaps miles away.

Is it groundbreaking in some way?

My gut wants to say “yes” but I’m not sure if my gut is the right organ to use to answer this question. To be completely honest, I don’t know. I think it’s impressive that Murdoch wrote the book at 25, that it’s humorous and well thought out and deals with fascinating themes, in particular assumptions: the actions someone takes when they believe things that are entirely untrue. But is that enough to call it groundbreaking? I don’t know.

Is it an enjoyable read?

I enjoyed Under the Net for the most part. It took me a while to read, although this was hindered by the fact that I left it on the airplane. I found some of the parts dull, like when Jack is running through Paris following someone who might be Anna. I loved the characters: Jack, Hugh, Madge, and most of all Mars. I felt that each character was worthy of his or her own “spin-off” tale. Mrs. Tinkham in particular, the woman who runs the newsstand and collects stories.

Does Under the Net deserve to be on the list of the top 100 books of the 20th century? Maybe. Possibly. A very tentative yes.

Books Left: 95
Current Book: Sophie’s Choice by William Styron

Sophie’s Choice was tough. Not just because it was long, but also because I felt like it was a book I should enjoy reading. I tried very hard to like it, to feel connected with the characters, and in the end I just wanted it to be over.

Is the book well written?

I did not think Sophie’s Choice was particularly well written. I spoke before about how I understand and almost appreciate Styron’s telling of the story as though it were Stingo telling the story of Sophie to a friend.

It still needed some major editing. When finishing the book, I felt nothing. Here I was reading about a woman making the worst choice any human being would have to make, and I had no emotional reaction. Am I that thick-skinned?

Styron could have made so much more of a powerful emotional impact, if he’d told the story in chronological order leaving out the plethora of unnecessary details that filled the pages. Instead of reading quickly because I was invested in the characters, I read quickly because I had hundreds of pages to go in this overly long book.

Does it speak about the human condition?

This is one thing I’d say Sophie’s Choice does well. The comparison between the Holocaust and Slavery in the South is fascinating. The book speaks about how human beings, time and time again, are able to commit horrible acts against each other.

Is it groundbreaking in some way?

No and no. (Yes, I think a teenage girl did a better job of writing about the Holocaust than a Pulitzer Prize winner. Note that Styron did not win the Pulitzer for Sophie’s Choice. Makes me wonder what the Modern Library was thinking. And yes, both books were published before Styron’s.)

Is it an enjoyable read?

Not at all. I couldn’t wait to be finished.

I was thinking of saying “maybe” as my answer to if Sophie’s Choice belongs on the list of the top 100 books in the 1900s, but after going through my criteria I’m changing my answer to no. How is a novel going to say something about the human condition when it’s written in such a way that the message does not make any kind of impact?