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A review by mydreamsaresilent
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
4.0
There's no real reason I can find that can lead to me liking this book at all except for the biggest, most obvious, and unavoidable reason - it's unbelievably, astoundingly well written. Nabokov had one hell of a mind and an enviable talent for languages/story telling. While my reason for not giving it five stars should also be the reason I do give it five - the fact that so many passages of H's perverted utterings had me sick to my stomach, a testament to the writer's power - I simply cannot give it five because, for all it's tragic beauty, I use this term vaguely, it still leaves a lingering feeling of 'je ne sais quoi' (forgive the trite French) within my psyche that I don't quite enjoy its now being there. A 'love story' (I testify Humbert Humbert loved himself and his delusions above all else) this may be, but it's also dark, demented, deranged, and more fucked than any shit I have read to date in its profound dealing with broken and warped human interactions.
In the end the book had me asking simply, why? Why did Nabokov saturate himself in the delusions and ideations of such a horrific character (not that monsters in literature are uncommon, but his is particularly monstrous), and why pedophilia? Maybe it's a testament that murder isn't a theme that shocks in literature so he descended into depths much more revolting to garner attention for his literary chops. Any way you slice it, I admire his skills, but I will actively be turning down any future book concerning topics such as this, it would only be another glimpse into the depraved mind I never want to see again.
In the end the book had me asking simply, why? Why did Nabokov saturate himself in the delusions and ideations of such a horrific character (not that monsters in literature are uncommon, but his is particularly monstrous), and why pedophilia? Maybe it's a testament that murder isn't a theme that shocks in literature so he descended into depths much more revolting to garner attention for his literary chops. Any way you slice it, I admire his skills, but I will actively be turning down any future book concerning topics such as this, it would only be another glimpse into the depraved mind I never want to see again.