A review by yvo_about_books
The Collector by John Fowles

2.0

 Finished reading: June 5th 2023


"We all want things we can't have. Being a decent human being is accepting that."

WARNING: unpopular opinion ahead!!

I've had my eyes on The Collector for quite some time now as a possible title for the Reading Through The Centuries challenge. I'm trying to get in as many challenges as possible early this year, so I decided to finally pick up The Collector and see what I would make of this classic. My first impression was without doubt a positive one, and I absolutely loved my time with Frederick's POV. He is such a fascinating (and tragic) character, and his emotional state and reactions really take the story to the next level. I fully expected this book to be a new favorite... Up until the POV suddenly switches to Miranda's diary. Suddenly, things went downhill FAST. Miranda is such a despicable, self-centered and snobbish character, and I absolutely hated having the spend time inside her head. I couldn't bring myself to feel not even the tiniest bit sorry for her, and to make things worse her diary entries are mainly not even focused on her time trapped, but are instead ramblings about her 'superior' world views and life as well as her 'special' relationship with G.P. I started to despise her more and more with each page, and I kept wishing Frederick would just kill her already so that I could avoid more suffering. What a way to completely ruin the first fantastic 40% of the story... I confess that I only made it to the end because I started skimreading and skipping all the bits where Miranda talked about G.P. or her life outside. The ending was a major anticlimax as well, although by then I was already feeling hugely disappointed with this book in the first place. 
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