safwah_ar's reviews
29 reviews
The Castle: A New Translation Based on the Restored Text by Franz Kafka
4.0
Set in a bleak and dismal landscape, K., a land surveyor sent to work in a snowy village, tries to find a sense of belonging but is constantly thwarted by the hostile interactions with the villagers and authorities of the castle there. A very interesting read which deals with universal themes such as alienation. K.'s own dealings with the absurd bureaucracy still hits close to home as we also face similar issues in the present world. Even though the novel can be hard to read at times with its long monologues, it is nevertheless an interesting peek into the human psyche as well as we witness the frustrations and desperation of K. and the people around him.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
5.0
A highly controversial book that (in my opinion) often gets overlooked because of its provocative content. But the way Nabokov wrote this book is beautiful and perfume-y, adorned with words that help to evoke vivid imagery within the minds of the readers. Also, the first-person narration works perfectly in order to tell the readers about the main character, Humbert Humbert and to put us in his mind and make us examine the way he thinks. The descriptions of road trips in the book tells stories about the land that they're travelling on (America) in indirect ways. I will definitely reread it again.