The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West (read 12/10)
- Published in 1918, this is a story about Chris, a man who returns from WWI with amnesia, unable to remember the last 15 yrs of his life. He believes he is still in love with a girl from Monkey Island, forgetting he had instead married a well-to-do lady. This books shows distinct lines of varying class levels (we know there aren't just low, middle, and upper class), told from the perspective of Jenny, Chris' cousin who lives on the estate with Chris and his wife. Jenny has never experienced love, Chris' wife seems to have experienced a superficial love, and Margaraet, the girl Chris left behind, has experienced an undying love that was unable to be returned by Chris, so she married an older man with many health problems. I agree with the prologue to this book, which states West is distinguishing reality as the most important thing in life, above happiness. (No, I don't necessary believe this myself!) Chris and Margaret still want to be with each other, but this is impossible because Chris would never quite be a "man" if he never knew for himself what had transpired over the past 15 yrs. The novella was written before WWI had ended, so there is also an element of the unknown and the frustration and depression that occurs when both sides are in a stalemate. The book dragged at times, but the overall story is interesting. The ending is very...sudden, however. Chris is brought back to reality by a reminder of a very sad time in his life, but made me question if such a "cure" could really happen so quickly and in such a manner.
- This play is definitely listed under "trauma" for my trauma narratives class. It is about a professor of 17th C. literature (particularly John Donne) who faces stage IV ovarian cancer. She has isolated herself over the years by vying for power and wit above personal relationships. It shows others in the play doing the same, and the personal touch of the "uneducated" (even though the nurse had to have a degree of education in order to work in the hospital ward). The professor is experiencing the paradoxical work of Donne in her own life as she must face her own demise, yet she never really finds any answers, just as Donne never really gives any answers in his poetry (I believe he did give answers in his sermons, though). The main character's ability to dissect medical terminology because of her strong English background gives this play a type of wit that makes this subject depressing, yet readable.
- Wow. Wow. I can't imagine blinking a few words, let alone an entire novel! Granted, it is a relatively short novel, but it is entirely transcribed from the author's ONE blinking eye! Let me explain. Bauby suffered a massive stroke in December 1995, leading to "locked-in syndrome." This book was published a mere two days before he died, but while he was living, he was a successful editor-and-chief of Elle magazine. This story is told with a sardonic flair that reveals a vulnerability that can be found in us all. He related everyday details through the eye of someone who cannot physically touch, feel, or move. He is fed through a tube, hanged on a board as part of therapy making him resemble more of a sepulchre decoration than a human, and ignored by those unwilling to interpret his blinking system. He sees the fear in others' eyes, and faces his reality with tears that are mistaken for watery eyes--at least he believes they are. What else can I say? I'm still astounded at how this book came to be.
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (read 1/10)
- Let's all clap our hands and count our blessings: I have FINALLY finished this book. No, I am not a fan of Virginia Woolf. In fact, if she knocked on my door (which would require being raised from the dead), I would pretend I wasn't home. Maybe I was just trying to take in too much on vacation, but this book was painful to read. It takes place in only a day's time, but it meanders (yes, Dr. ____ from one of my undergrad English classes, I will use meander here) through the lives and minds of a select few in London. Why anyone would want to go to Clarissa's party, I'm still not sure. Why Peter is still in love with her, I'm not sure. Why Richard chose her, I'm not sure. And don't get me started about her friendship with Sally and Sally's pride in having five thriving boys. Yes, that sums up the story. Oh, and the extremely troubled mind of Septimus, obviously suffering some type of PTSD--can't forget Crazy Septimus--and his unloved Italian wife.
- I finished this book in two days--that says it all. This book does have some content I'm not comfortable discussing on this blog (especially since it discusses so many different ways of committing suicide), but I can give some general opinions. First, I was able to identify with Esther to a point it was scary (minus her height and her internship in NY). Really, her thoughts, her worries--even her inability to figure out which direction to take when she was somewhere versus her ability to figure out a map--fit me well. I just hope I don't end up in an asylum! There really was no reason in particular Esther went mad; this is a great example of someone unable to conform to expectations of life and what happens, with no direct cause of her her decent into "craziness." Well, I didn't care for the same people she didn't care for, and I liked the same people she liked in the story. I was intrigued to see her paranoia developing, all the while chuckling at the odd things she did, such as burying her hot dog in the sand instead of eating it.
