Finished: July 14, 2023
Why I read this
Included in the huge delivery of books from my mom on my birthday was this small un-opposing book with almost no background other than a note from her that she had read it and enjoyed it. Even after scanning the covers there is little to know about the book before you begin other than that it is good (another Pulitzer prize winner) and that it is short. With that, and after my recent read of The Power of Geography I was looking for something a little less non-fiction, and boy did I get it!
What I learned
From the first pages I couldn’t help but thinking that this book felt more like poetry than prose. The writing style was very unique with an almost lilting swing to it that made it feel rhythmic. It reminded me of the stream of consciousness writing that I read in high school like Their Eyes Were Watching God from Zora Neale Hurston. Everything just seemed to be the flow of thoughts from each character and a detailed description of their thoughts or experiences. Many of the scenes were vivid and imaginative and made you feel like you could see exactly what was going on.
What I didn’t like
On the other side of things I find sometimes this writing style to be a bit hard to concentrate on and a bit abstract. The portions with the plot I found very engaging, but when immediately after an impactful portion of the story the author would switch to an abstract concept about light or children playing in a house. Maybe I’m just not deep enough to appreciate these things, but it made me feel the same way that modern art does that I just don’t get “huh that’s cool”, but without any real emotion behind it.
Another possible problem for me is that I was reading this often at times where I did not have good focus like in the metro or on a bus with colleagues. Without the focus I found the text very hard to follow sometimes which of course is my fault, but also I don’t think a good book should require the same focus as you would need from say a professional journal.
Questions I asked
If I were to die tomorrow what would be my last memory? What would be my most treasured moment?
Is a simple life better than a complicated one?
Do you know it inside when you are dying?
My Favorite Quote
“Your cold mornings are filled with the heartache about the fact that although we are not at ease in this world, it is all we have, that it is ours but that it is full of strife, so that all we can call our own is strife; but even that is better than nothing at all isn’t it?”
Paul Harding
Books I liked like this one
Heart of Darkness: Joseph Conrad (For its poetic descriptions)
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: Mark Manson (For its questions about what really is important in life)
Book Reviews for Mom 