Thursday, April 7, 2011

finally finished this book.

I struggled. And I mean STRUGGLED through this book. It ended nicely though.

Husband heard about it on NPR and thought it would be something I'd enjoy. It sounded very Chuck Palahniuk-y (who I love. seriously, EVERY thing he's written is a favorite) so I asked Husband to pick it up at the library for me.

Basically, it's about a guy who realizes he can stop and restart time various ways for various lengths of time. Ok, I'm with you. I can suspend my disbelief for that. But it's what he does in the "Fold" or "Fermata" as he calls it that just really turned me off to the book. He would undress woman and admire them, sneak into their homes to "get to know them" and in a few instances he'd write very graphic pornographic stories for them to find and read.

That was a part that was just so hard for me to believe and latch on to. Really? he has the ability to stop time and he just spends it being a sexual deviant? eh. I had a ridiculously hard time relating to the main character. I'm not a sexual prude, but seriously, the sex talk was insane-o.

There were very slow parts where he talks about ways he's gotten into the Fold and the things he tried to get in that didn't work. I had to read most of that at least twice because I would find myself at the end of the page with nothing retained! Then there's the crazy sex stuff that shocked and horrified me. (ugh, I feel like an old church lady typing that!)

I wanted to stop reading it. But then I remembered the only book I've ever stopped reading in my life. The Life of Pi. (it haunts me. I hate quitting books no matter how much I dislike them) And I continued on. Like I said before, it had a good ending. So I'll probably remember it as not "not quite Chuck Palahniuk-y book that bulged my eyes and almost put me to sleep 12 times" and not "the horrible graphic almost rape book" <-- I could write a lot about how I felt what the main character was doing was pretty much rape but I'll spare you my essay.

4 comments:

S-B said...

Ask Jennifer about the porno letter she found in an old desk...

Rita Bird said...

I CANNOT BELIEVE you didn't finish Life of Pi. It's one of my favorite books..... What does that say about me?

Christy Ross said...

Rita, It really still bothers me that I never finished it. I'll have to try again. Maybe I'll be in a better mindset this time.

Rita Bird said...

I hope so. And I hope you love it. Please don't let me know if you reread it and still don't like it. I will forever be heartbroken.