A review by schneehutte
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
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
3.0
Well well well... after starting this book almost 6 months ago, I can only say that I am happy that I finished this before my birthday. I remember being excited about this book after seeing it in an episode of "Pretty Little Liars", and when I finally got it during Christmas, I thought this "thin book" was what was going to save me from a really long reading slump. A good literary kick, so to say. But boy, was I wrong!
Now, let me start by saying that this review of 3 stars is not because, as I am sure many people say, this book is disgusting, with a disgusting main character and theme. Don't get me wrong: I absolutely adore the controversial and taboo exploration. And of course, Lolita has all that: it is famous for that. For those who don't know: the main character, Humbert Humbert, is a pedophile that, after the loss of his childhood lover, seeks in young girls the characteristics of his past lover (girls aged 7 to 12, which he calls "nymphets") - until he meets Lolita, a 12-year-old American girl. And he decides that he would do anything to keep his control over her, and does atrocious things to this child and her mother, to keep Lolita in his cycle of abuse.
Now, after finishing the book, I have seen many critiques and analyses that claim that this book is a perfect example of an unreliable narrator. This is of course true. Humbert claims that Lolita, at one point, seduced him - that is of course not true. Lolita had no way of "seducing" him, as she doesn't truly know what "seduction" really is. But Humbert Humbert never "grew" on me the way that many readers describe he does: he is supposed to be this charming, handsome, intelligent man - but looking at the horrible crimes he commits page by page, it is really hard to look beyond the monster he is. I think Nabokov intended for the audience to (and I emphasize!) GUILTY sympathize with the main character as he shows part of his personality. I didn't feel this way at all and was honestly disturbed by everything he did, even if it is for Lolita's sake (in his vision, at least).
Now, why did I give this book 3 stars? After all, it is a complex book with complex themes, an interesting character, and a reflective piece of literary work - my style. So why?
Well, ironically, it is because of the writing - which I know is people's favorite part of this book. Nabokov can write beautifully. Too beautifully.
I had, every 2 pages, to search for a new word or straight up read a summary of what had just happened because the language was so difficult. The wording is poetic but confusing, the narrative was well-written but slow, and some chapters felt like torture. I will admit, English is not my first language (and neither is Nabokov's!), but one thing this book showed me is that I don't know English at all. The pacing being so slow didn't help either. The story dragged on and on, with descriptive paragraphs occupying pages and pages. It was so hard to concentrate while reading this story, that every time I picked up the book I just felt very unmotivated to finish - and with the pacing the way it was, I knew it might take a while for something impactful to happen in the story. And, as much as I know that it is a part of Humbert's character to write so "prose-ish" and "literary-ish", I just couldn't take it for very long. If anything, it made me even more annoyed at him, as I felt he was stalling the story to hide his atrocious crimes.
I guess the only way of knowing the true amount of stars I would give this book is to read it in Portuguese, my mother tongue. Because otherwise, I don't think I am re-reading this anytime soon, and it left my reading slump worse than ever. Sorry Nabokov, I think you are too good for me!
Now, let me start by saying that this review of 3 stars is not because, as I am sure many people say, this book is disgusting, with a disgusting main character and theme. Don't get me wrong: I absolutely adore the controversial and taboo exploration. And of course, Lolita has all that: it is famous for that. For those who don't know: the main character, Humbert Humbert, is a pedophile that, after the loss of his childhood lover, seeks in young girls the characteristics of his past lover (girls aged 7 to 12, which he calls "nymphets") - until he meets Lolita, a 12-year-old American girl. And he decides that he would do anything to keep his control over her, and does atrocious things to this child and her mother, to keep Lolita in his cycle of abuse.
Now, after finishing the book, I have seen many critiques and analyses that claim that this book is a perfect example of an unreliable narrator. This is of course true. Humbert claims that Lolita, at one point, seduced him - that is of course not true. Lolita had no way of "seducing" him, as she doesn't truly know what "seduction" really is. But Humbert Humbert never "grew" on me the way that many readers describe he does: he is supposed to be this charming, handsome, intelligent man - but looking at the horrible crimes he commits page by page, it is really hard to look beyond the monster he is. I think Nabokov intended for the audience to (and I emphasize!) GUILTY sympathize with the main character as he shows part of his personality. I didn't feel this way at all and was honestly disturbed by everything he did, even if it is for Lolita's sake (in his vision, at least).
Now, why did I give this book 3 stars? After all, it is a complex book with complex themes, an interesting character, and a reflective piece of literary work - my style. So why?
Well, ironically, it is because of the writing - which I know is people's favorite part of this book. Nabokov can write beautifully. Too beautifully.
I had, every 2 pages, to search for a new word or straight up read a summary of what had just happened because the language was so difficult. The wording is poetic but confusing, the narrative was well-written but slow, and some chapters felt like torture. I will admit, English is not my first language (and neither is Nabokov's!), but one thing this book showed me is that I don't know English at all. The pacing being so slow didn't help either. The story dragged on and on, with descriptive paragraphs occupying pages and pages. It was so hard to concentrate while reading this story, that every time I picked up the book I just felt very unmotivated to finish - and with the pacing the way it was, I knew it might take a while for something impactful to happen in the story. And, as much as I know that it is a part of Humbert's character to write so "prose-ish" and "literary-ish", I just couldn't take it for very long. If anything, it made me even more annoyed at him, as I felt he was stalling the story to hide his atrocious crimes.
I guess the only way of knowing the true amount of stars I would give this book is to read it in Portuguese, my mother tongue. Because otherwise, I don't think I am re-reading this anytime soon, and it left my reading slump worse than ever. Sorry Nabokov, I think you are too good for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Misogyny and Death of parent