Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Lolita

Ok, so I didn’t finish this book not because it isn’t well written or not engaging. For me it was simply too much. HH is so highly disgusting I couldn’t stand reading the book and his thoughts. Horridly well done.

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maryyylorraine's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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house_of_hannah's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It's been two days since I finished this book, and I still have no idea how to write a review. I think many write this book off as creepy pedo fodder, but wow is it so much more than it's title indicates. This is a descent into the psyche of a mentally ill man who twists reality to abolish his guilt.

Our narrator, Humbert Humbert, who we never learn the true name of, twists a tale to try to make himself out as the victim. However, he has moments of clarity where he realizes how terrible what he is doing is, and considers himself a monster. These moments are then erased by his mind twisting the actions of a young girl into something they should never be perceived as. There are also cracks here though, as he notices Dolly (Lolita) crying herself to sleep every night, and how she reacts to a normal father/daughter relationship.

This book starts off in one direction, but then takes many twists and turns to where we are experiencing the genres of horror, mystery, thriller, and psychology as well. The very beginning of this story starts with Humbert already in custody, so this is a retelling of events. He's quite good at self-analysis, and begins his tale with explaining the event that happened in his childhood that has caused his vile tastes. As someone who is interested in the psychology behind our actions I find this book to be fascinating and frighteningly realistic.

Nabokov has written this book in a way that flows beautifully. So little is outright said, and instead many euphamisms are used to keep the lyrical effect. It constrasts so well with the actual content that I can definitely see why some might call this a masterpiece. Nonetheless, I honestly could not imagine reading this book if I had children of my own. The last sentence of the Foreword really stuck with me through this story (It is also written by a Nabokov character). It is as follows: "Lolita should make all of us - parents, social workers, educators - apply ourselves with still greater vigilance and vision to the task of bringing up a better generation in a safer world."

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