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A review by surdiablo
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
1.0
I detested more than half of this book, enough to the point that regardless of the last two parts not being completely terrible, I'm going with a 1-star after mulling on it for a while. This is one of those books where I didn't vibe with the writing style/choices in general, and thought it would have greatly benefitted from sticking to some specific topic, rather than being all over the place. Kundera's writing gave me this constant ick which I only tend to feel when authors' questionable views seep into their works, and lo and behold, he says this during the meta-commentary: 'The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities.' which unfortunately confirmed my fears. 🤣
This book reeks of misogyny and features a toxic miserable relationship that goes nowhere. He tries his hand at some philosophy and political commentary, which came off as pretentious and r/Im14andthisisdeep material, rather than anything profound. Some of the excessive and distasteful events or descriptions seemed to me as if the author was fulfilling his lascivious fantasies through these characters, or simply being gratuitous. I don't know if something was lost in translation but it became rather unbearable indeed with the constant focus on sex for the majority of the book. I don't mind reading about shitty characters or sex, but the way Kundera handles it and the things he focuses on.. It just rubs me the wrong way if that makes sense... I didn't care much about the characters with their unnatural inner monologue, although Teresa's traumatic upbringing was well-written.
Kundera occasionally draws conclusions by linking unrelated elements, which can seem illogical, even though they're presented as if they naturally fit together. This can leave the reader feeling perplexed often (The relation between Teresa's bowler hat and violence for example). It adds a lot to that pretentiousness I mentioned earlier. The political plot was comparatively enjoyable, but there wasn't enough of it and what existed felt rather basic. I have never been a fan of the author telling me what to think or feel, so that didn't help either. At the end of the day, if you ask me Do you feel like you gained anything reading this book?, my answer would be no. I didn't care for his thoughts or insight, and the parts I didn't hate seem forgettable now after all this time, while the irritation remains.
P.S. Kundera definitely has a poop fetish... Oh, and don't read this book if you haven't read Anna Karenina and don't want its ending spoiled.
This book reeks of misogyny and features a toxic miserable relationship that goes nowhere. He tries his hand at some philosophy and political commentary, which came off as pretentious and r/Im14andthisisdeep material, rather than anything profound. Some of the excessive and distasteful events or descriptions seemed to me as if the author was fulfilling his lascivious fantasies through these characters, or simply being gratuitous. I don't know if something was lost in translation but it became rather unbearable indeed with the constant focus on sex for the majority of the book. I don't mind reading about shitty characters or sex, but the way Kundera handles it and the things he focuses on.. It just rubs me the wrong way if that makes sense... I didn't care much about the characters with their unnatural inner monologue, although Teresa's traumatic upbringing was well-written.
Kundera occasionally draws conclusions by linking unrelated elements, which can seem illogical, even though they're presented as if they naturally fit together. This can leave the reader feeling perplexed often (The relation between Teresa's bowler hat and violence for example). It adds a lot to that pretentiousness I mentioned earlier. The political plot was comparatively enjoyable, but there wasn't enough of it and what existed felt rather basic. I have never been a fan of the author telling me what to think or feel, so that didn't help either. At the end of the day, if you ask me Do you feel like you gained anything reading this book?, my answer would be no. I didn't care for his thoughts or insight, and the parts I didn't hate seem forgettable now after all this time, while the irritation remains.
P.S. Kundera definitely has a poop fetish... Oh, and don't read this book if you haven't read Anna Karenina and don't want its ending spoiled.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Moderate: Excrement and War
Minor: Rape and Death of parent