First Read of January 2017

Originally posted on January 8, 2017.

Happy new year! What have you been reading?

I myself have just finished a book that is considered one of the best of 2016: The Vegetarian by Han Kang. I honestly thought the story would have been different by the synopsis, but it was an interesting read nonetheless. It had multiple character viewpoints--three to be exact. The main character is a woman who had a disturbing dream and decided to become a vegetarian. Her husband, the first character we hear the story from, is abusive and the story seems a bit like a horror film in slow motion. The main character's brother-in-law is the second perspective, where things become more perverse and at this point, I really didn't want to continue reading. The third point of view, the main character's sister, showed the most depth, in my opinion, and showed the sadness and despair that she herself felt and the main character's insanity (technically schizophrenia, but the things that go on in this book do borderline on insanity at times). The story was first terrifying, then disgusting, then, just sad. It was interesting how it was more about mental health than actual vegetarianism. It was a quick read, but not something I recommend unless you like fiction with a heavy dose of reality (and not the fun parts of reality). A bit heavy for such a short book.

The reason I finished it was to give adult fiction another try and also because my local library is hosting a contest each month this year. They choose a list of books to read and you challenge yourself to read it during the month. It is a fun, quick challenge that definitely inspires different viewpoints. But, I do prefer young adult/younger reader fiction. It can be heavy, but not so much that you feel the need to find another escape route than reading. Reading is the best place to use your imagination, so why imagine the worst?

Let me know what you are reading and if you are feeling up to the challenge of reading a 2016 book! I am quite curious about The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. It sounds quite less statement piece and more lose yourself in an adventure, which I am now in need of after this last book.