hector by K.I. Hope
My rating: 4/5 cats
i don’t think i will ever read finnegan’s wake. when i was fifteen or so, i went on a trip to england, and i was reading the bell jar on the plane and throughout the trip. it was a fun trip, one that boosted my confidence and independence in a variety of ways, and when it was time to go, i was wandering around the airport, with a bit of leftover english currency in my pocket, and i saw finnegan’s wake in the airport bookstore (which i doubt they sell in american airports, i’m just going to mention here). cocky after my recent adventures, i thought to myself—sure, esther-bell-jar doesn’t understand this book, but i bet i will! i am the cleverest of all fifteen-year-old girls!!
turns out i am not, and it was a perplexing plane ride home. (why is there musical notation???, is this even a word?????)
when i was a senior, i had a teacher who was discussing the book (but not making us read it), who gave us some advice. he said to just treat it like what it was on the first go-round. just read it like a dream and power through and let it all wash over you, and do not slow down and do not stop to question it. i never returned to finnegan’s wake—i like dubliners and portrait, but i can’t be bothered with the big ones yet. i don’t mind being intellectually challenged (although my recent school-related readings would seem to suggest otherwise) but i do not like being intellectually mocked. stuff it, joyce, i say (for now)
but so all of the above was just to say i think the “power through” method is appropriate here, for this book. i want to respect the author’s decision, like chris cleave’s on little bee to not give away plot points on the book’s cover etc. and i will only suggest that this book be read as a journey through a situation that is painful and emotionally charged and is also a very timely story, judging by many recent publications. there is some beautiful writing in here, and if there were a couple of things that snagged in my mind as inconsistencies, it doesn’t matter, because the message is the same.
maybe this summer, joyce…
but proust gets finished first.
sorry, i wrote this first thing in the morning and after my shower i am thinking more clearly. i want to stress here that this book isn’t difficult the way finnegan’s wake is. i read it through once and then i had some questions and i read it a second time, without slowing down to question, and the second read-through was more rewarding, is all.
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