The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde

Sometimes a book is perfectly written with meaningful themes and you end up acknowledging its greatness while having no personal attachment to it. At other times, you read a book that is just plain awful but you actually end up secretly enjoying it. Some of the reasons that come to mind that makes us like a book are - reading a book at the right time, connecting to the characters in the book or a theme that resonates with us personally. To oversimplify it further - we end up loving books that evoke an emotion out of us. It could be an intense sadness or side-splitting laughter. As long as we feel something and we are engaged to the plot, we end up liking it. I personally end up disliking books that make me feel indifferent to the overall plot or outcome of the characters. On that note, let's get into why I liked 'The Importance of Being Earnest.' It is, by no means, a ground-breaking work of art but it is genuinely one of the funniest and wittiest plays that I have ever read and as a result, I absolutely loved it.

This play is set in the Victorian era. And it is an obvious satire on the conventions and conduct of people living in this era. And as advertised, it is "a trivial comedy for serious people". Now, usually the problem with reading a comedy play is that it is meant to be performed on stage. As a result, some of the humour does not translate well on text. For example, as a part of our school curriculum, we were introduced to two plays - 'As You Like It' and 'Arms and the Man'. Both were comedies and both of them had elements of visual humour because of which, certain dialogues did not have the full comic effect that it was intended to have. However, 'The Importance of Being Earnest' is a comedy that translates well even on text. It relies on situational comedy and on witty one-liners as its main comic element along with subtle digs at the mannerisms of the society.

The plot of the play is a little difficult to explain. The protagonists of the play, Jack and Moncrieff assume a fake identity named, ironically enough, Ernest. However, when both of them arrive at Jack's country house at the same time, they create a whole lot of confusion especially for the ladies whom they have wooed under the false name of 'Ernest'. What follows is complete mayhem as the situation gets more out of hand.

Essentially, it is a satire on society. Oscar Wilde points out the vanity and vapidness of the wealthy aristocrats. But because it is done in the form of comedy, it gets the message across without being overbearing.

"If I am occasionally a little over-dressed, I make up for it by being immensely over-educated."

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”  

It is also interesting to note that Oscar Wilde identified as a homosexual. He was compelled to hide his sexual orientation as it would cause public backlash and imprisonment. (Note : He was imprisoned later following a court case involving his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, where his homosexuality was revealed.) Now, his play deals with deceptive double lives and it is apparent that he himself used to lead a double life, hiding his true self from the public. He also observed that, by and large the entire society used to lead a double life. I don't know whether the theme of double lives had anything to do with his own personal struggles. Nevertheless, I find the connection between his art and personal life interesting.

In conclusion, I'd like to say that this was one of the better books that I have read this year and I would definitely recommend it to everyone. Read this when you're in the mood for something that is light-hearted and fun.

The Lover's Dictionary - David Levithan

I have a habit of judging books by their covers and their titles. For example, if a book is named "She Swiped Right Into My Heart", I will avoid it at all costs. So, naturally, even though I knew that this book was supposedly good, I had no intentions of reading it. In fact, the only reason I read it was because of a Goodreads challenge. And let me just say, I'm glad I read it.

The Lover's Dictionary consists of a word and then a passage following it which narrates about a relationship. For example, think of a word. Let's say - absent. It will be followed by a narration of a failed relationship related to the word - absent. Think of it as something like "Terribly Tiny Tales" except all of the individual tales add up to the main story. So, we basically follow a relationship between the narrator and a girl. It alternates between past and present events. So, there is a clear contrast. When the relationship is in its early stages, it is very optimistic and hopeful. And when the narration shifts to the present scenario - it is bitter and sometimes, nostalgic. Overall, the book does an excellent job of exploring a modern day relationship - from its happy beginnings to its five stages of grief ending.

Now, any sort of experimental writing is a bit of a risk. People might love it or absolutely hate it. And not all experimental writing is well done. However, this one is fairly well done. I had mixed feelings about the book because of my personal preferences. But, overall, this is a good book and I would definitely recommend it to the right audience.

A Room Of One's Own - Virginia Woolf

I'm going to go ahead and say something that I probably should not say - I find Virginia Woolf's writing style very difficult to engage with (at least in this book). While I appreciated her sensible tone of making her point, I could feel my focus slipping in parts of the book (to be fair, it could be because of my insistence to read it all in one day). However, that aside, I really liked this book.

This book was originally published in 1929 when gender inequality was worse than what it is in the modern day. 'A Room of One's Own' is actually an extended essay based on a series of lectures delivered by Woolf in Cambridge University. It centres around the idea that women need a steady income and a room of her own in order to explore her artistic capabilities. This book also touches upon patriarchy and the oppression of women under a patriarchal society. While the current situation of women is significantly better than what it was around the time when this book got published, some of her ideas are still relevant. She gives a hypothetical example of a hypothetical Shakespeare's sister - whose literary capabilities equalled that of Shakespeare's. However, Woolf imagines, this sister would never gain the fame or recognition of Shakespeare and would ultimately resort to suicide because of the societal constraints of women present at the time. She also talks about Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, imagining how difficult it must have been for these women to write in the drawing room - where there were constant distractions.

Through her observations and analysis, Virginia Woolf puts forth a strong argument for the need for feminism. However, she keeps her arguments free from prejudice. In fact, she is so sensible that it is hard not to see her logic. This book also stresses on the importance of women to be financially independent - something that resonated with me very strongly.

“All this pitting of sex against sex, of quality against quality; all this claiming of superiority and imputing of inferiority, belong to the private-school stage of human existence where there are 'sides,' and it is necessary for one side to beat another side, and of the utmost importance to walk up to a platform and receive from the hands of the Headmaster himself a highly ornamental pot.”  

Would recommend to : Anyone with an interest in classic feminist literature.

Carrie - Stephen King

When I was a teenager, I used to read The Princess Diaries series. And I distinctly remember a reference to Carrie that the main character made in the first book. As a result, I was aware of the plot even before I read the book. Now, if you're a horror enthusiast, you'd know that once you're aware of the plot, the intensity and the suspense diminishes by a considerable amount. However, in this case, even though I was aware of the plot, Carrie kept me on the edge of my seat.

The book alternates between two time periods - the past and the present. The format of the book is epistolary - it includes newspaper clippings, excerpts from published autobiographies of people who witnessed the "incident" that occurred, published articles by scholars researching about the "incident" along with regular narration in third person of the events leading up to the "incident", thereby, building up the suspense.

Carrie is a 17 year old girl who is bullied by her classmates in school for being a social outcast. Growing up in an overly-protected environment thanks to her fanatically religious mother, she does not understand social norms and as a result, is an easy target for bullies. After a particularly nasty bullying session, one of the girls involved, Sue Snell, feels guilty and convinces her boyfriend to take Carrie to their senior prom instead of her. The act, though done out of good intention, turns out to be the final straw in the humiliation of Carrie. I will not reveal anything further than that as this is one of those books where it's better to go in without much prior knowledge.

The primary complain that I usually have with horror novels is their one-dimensional characters. However, Carrie deeply explores the backstory of all of the significant characters. This book also touches on some disturbing subjects like marital rape which leaves a lasting impact on the victim in the book.

Apart from an engaging plot, Carrie also manages to keep you emotionally engaged without heavily relying on flowery prose. You can feel Sue Snell's guilt as deeply as you can feel Carrie's alienation and distress. You can also tell that the mixed and contradictory messages from her peers and her mother really confuses her and further alienates her from the society.

"Jesus watches from the wall,
But His face is cold as stone,
And if He loves me,
Why do I feel so all alone?"
- An excerpt from Carrie's journal

Another thing that I really liked was the actual horror element. Carrie offers a mixture of supernatural and psychological horror. Her plight is almost horrifying to contemplate. I'm not saying that this book will give you nightmares but, it will make you question a lot of things that you see happening around you. For example - sometimes, bullies are unaware/wilfully ignorant of the deep psychological impact that they leave on their victims. This book makes you wonder how easily avoidable the entire incident could have been if only people were a little more nice and accepting of others.

Overall, I'd like to say that if you want to sample Stephen King's writing before jumping into some of his larger sized novels, Carrie is a good book to start as it is fairly short and fast-paced. You can also check out View from the Bar on YouTube who is really good at discussing the finer points of Stephen King's novels or the movie adaptation starring John Travolta (if you don't want to read the book).

A random playlist of songs mentioned in the book -
Just Like A Woman - Bob Dylan
Tombstone Blues - Bob Dylan

Coraline - Neil Gaiman

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

I was almost sceptical about this book because of it being a children's book, a genre that I can't seem to enjoy much lately. However, Coraline was a pleasant surprise. It was not because the plot blew me away. There wasn't much of a shock value to it. However, the story worked well with the atmosphere of the book. It has Neil Gaiman's trademark humour and simplistic writing style along with badass characters who leave a lasting impression on you.

In this story, Coraline and her family move to a new flat. As soon as she moves there, her explorer instincts start working and she discovers a locked door in the dining room and finds a brick wall upon opening it. When she tries again a second time, she is surprised to find a corridor at the end of which she finds a flat resembling her own. In this other world, she meets her "other parents" who are a perfect version of her own parents, i.e., attentive to her every need. They even look alike - with the exception of their button-like eyes. However, Coraline is able to see through the charming facade and realises that they mean to keep her as their own child forever. She manages to escape and returns to her actual flat only to discover that her real parents are trapped in a mirror and that she must go back to the other world in order to rescue them. And there begins her adventure in the "other world" as she tries to rescue her parents while trying to keep herself from falling for the evil traps of her "other mother". As the plot progresses, the book gets creepier and you're drawn into this intense suspense where you're trying to figure out whether Coraline will be successful or not. As a reader, you feel engaged to the events occurring in the book. For example - when Coraline gets locked in a dark room, you can almost feel her fear in anticipation of what she might find there.

Apart from that, Coraline is filled with fascinating characters. Coraline's character is almost nostalgic as she reminds you of your childhood, when the world was fascinating and full of wonder and when moving to a new place meant exploring every nook and cranny with almost as much enthusiasm as a pirate in search of a lost treasure. Her natural curiosity and quick wit makes her a fascinating character to read about. That, combined with the plot and the way she deals with the situations she finds herself in, makes her a truly unforgettable character.  She exhibits a level of maturity that most adults strive to achieve. For example, this is what she says when her "other mother" tries to lure her by providing her with everything that she could ever want -
“I don't want whatever I want. Nobody does. Not really. What kind of fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted just like that, and it didn't mean anything? What then?”
 
One might argue that most children of her age do not have the maturity to understand this and that it is an unrealistic portrayal of kids of her age. However, I personally think that Coraline is a great role model for the impressionable children who are the targeted audience of the book. In fact, even adults can learn a lot from her.

So, in conclusion,  Coraline is a short but wonderfully dark and creepy book that will genuinely end up surprising you. There is also a movie adaptation which I've heard is almost as good as the book (which you can check out if you still feel unsure about the book).

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman

As someone who is suffering from a Stranger Things hangover, Neverwhere was the perfect book to go back into the world of alternate universes. Dark, witty and imaginative, Neverwhere was a delight through and through.

The story follows Richard Mayhew, who leads a dull, predictable regular adult life whose idea of "injecting a little personality into his working world" is to place a troll figure on his computer monitor. However, his life turns around when he finds himself in the midst of chaos when he decides to help a wounded girl. He finds out that the girl, Door, is from London Below, an alternative world with rules quite different from our own. Door is on the run from two hired professionals, Mr. Vandemar and Mr. Croup. As Richard starts getting involved in Door's alternate world, he becomes almost invisible in our own. Helpless and desperate to be noticed again, he decides to follow Door to London Below where he goes on an unbelievable and almost life-threatening adventure exploring London Below, interacting with "rat speakers" and seeing a real-life angel for the first time. One thing is certain - life will never go back to normal for Richard or for any of us, for that matter.

“Richard wrote a diary entry in his head. Dear Diary, he began. On Friday I had a job, a fiancée, a home, and a life that made sense. (Well, as much as any life makes sense). Then I found an injured girl bleeding on the pavement, and I tried to be a Good Samaritan. Now I've got no fiancée, no home, no job, and I'm walking around a couple of hundred feet under the streets of London with the projected life expectancy of a suicidal fruitfly.”  

The most wonderful thing about this book is that even though it is technically an "adult" fantasy, it has the imaginative quality of a children's fiction. It creates an atmosphere which almost fools you into thinking that you're a part of the adventures in London Below. 

Then there's the characterization - Richard's as mundane as a man can ever be. He does not strike you as particularly heroic. Yet, when push comes to shove, he surprises you with what an ordinary man can achieve when he puts his mind to it. Another character who leaves a lasting impression is Hunter. She's beautiful and physically strong and a very focused individual, in general. She defies so many gender stereotypes that it's hard not to like her.

In conclusion, this was one of the most fascinating and engaging books that I have ever read. I would definitely recommend it to everyone. Also, this book was released as a companion novel to a BBC miniseries of the same name. I would recommend checking it out (although, I've never seen it myself so I can't really comment on it).

Men Explain Things To Me - Rebecca Solnit

Men Explain Things to Me is a collection of essays focusing on feminism and the need for it. And no, this is not one of those feminist books that delves into the border of misandry. I wasn't aware of this but apparently the first essay (i.e. the first chapter of the book) was originally published as a blog post which went viral which then encouraged the author to write this book.

From the title of the book, you'd think that this book would be mainly about incidents of mansplaining. However, the author only brings that up in the first chapter of the book. The rest of the book focuses on sexism, incidents of rape, increasing sexual assault against women, domestic violence and the effects of patriarchy. It is apparent that the author has put in a lot of research as she uses data, statistics and current events to emphasise her point. And because of that, one cannot deny that while much has been accomplished, the struggle does not end here and there's still a long way to go - a point specially emphasised in her chapter "The Longest War". She also dedicates a chapter on how people in a position of power exploit others emphasising her point by bringing up the incident of Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The book does lose its flow in between and that's the only criticism that I have of this book.
Overall, as someone who is trying to understand feminism and the need for it in the modern day, this book was insightful and informative and it put forth a strong conviction.