This is a shout out to Emilie Dawn who gave me this book for Christmas a full fifteen years ago. I know this because she wrote on the inside: To Kaerlig--My favorite person in P----. Merry Christmas. I love you, Emilie Dawn 1993.Emilie...I finished reading this book today. I started it many times and never finished it. You got on my case for slacking a few times.
I finished it.
It was the strangest book. This guy Meursault, the main character, is absurd. He doesn't mourn when his mother dies. He says he'll marry Marie though he could just as well not marry her or marry another because he doesn't care. He murders an Arab because he was hot and the sun was in his eye and he doesn't feel guilt or remorse because he can't differentiate between good or bad. He is psychologically detached from society and amoral. The only things that seem to move Meursault are physical sensations like the color of the sky at dawn or dusk, the smell of the sea, the uncomfortable heat of the sun, the touch of a woman. And his pending death at the guillotine.
It was disturbing.
This morning, after I finished the last pages, I went about getting ready for the day. I was cooking and the house started to get too hot. I was sweating and so I opened the front and back doors. The dog was rough housing with Lou, biting her socks, and she was crying out. I kicked the dog. I realized I kicked him because I was hot and it was too noisy. I didn't kick him too hard, but he was startled and I sent him out the door. I felt like Meursault. I shuddered.
Then I was doing Lou's hair. I had the rubber band between my teeth and I accidentally pulled it and it snapped my lip. I was surprised by how much that hurt. I said "Ouch!" loudly and sweet little D asked me kindly what happened. I snapped "I don't want to talk right now!" Again I felt like Meursault...reacting to the physical world in absurd ways. I apologized to little D and explained that when I'm in pain, I don't like talking to anyone. Does that make any sense?
This was truly a disturbing book.
4 comments:
I remember when our wacky English teacher had us read this book....I think Em brought in The Cure song too & they played it for the class. I forgot how wierd the book was to me...
I read A Thousand Splendid Suns, and it had the same effect on me...after book club, I couldn't even pick it back up to finish it.
It is interesting how things we read, see, and hear can affect us so much. I think I was suppose to read this book in high school and just never finished it. I chose to read something like "The Nose" by Gogol. It was weird.
I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I love the pictures on your blog.
I swear every time I read your blog I feel an emotional blow. Sorry you hated my book. I think it may have been less disturbing 15 years ago when I gave it to you and you weren't a mother.
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