The phrase; ‘The controversial number one bestseller’ is written on the cover of the book, so naturally this would make any person curious. I was intrigued and bought it, not really knowing the story I was about to read.
While my next review will be about a book which I absolutely loved beyond reason, I would have to say that this was the most interesting novel I’ve read in quite a while. It follows the story of a middle-aged man, who is about to leave his wife of ten years. He is the narrator, so the reader is able to see inside the mind of someone who’s about to change his life and end a relationship, which is fascinating in and of itself.
A lot of books focus on romantic relationships, but this was the first time I encountered not only a book that was solely focused on this one particular moment (on the last night he’s spending with his wife before leaving), but also one which seemed almost too personal and real. As you’re following the thoughts of the narrator, you’re living through his anxiety, despair, hope and worries with him, almost becoming him. So when it turns into a real emotional roller-coaster of hating him because he seems unreasonable at times, or sympathising with him because you can understand that he’s unhappy with his life, the book forces you to think about yourself in such situations as well.
It’s a short read, but one which left me feeling very emotional. The moment that you start applying the book to your own life is when it becomes difficult. The vulgarity of some of the main character’s thoughts, the disdain he feels for his wife, along with everything else that seems awful that could go through a person’s mind, seeps into your perception of your previous relationships. It makes you think about whether the person who left you thought about you in the same way towards the end. At the same time, you scramble to remember your own thoughts when you ended a relationship, and hope that they were nowhere near as terrible as those of the narrator. The more you think about it, the more it can cause distress and yet it makes you appreciate this book and the thoughts it was able to provoke.
A lot of reviews focus in particular on the fact that it’s an insightful read on ‘male sexual restlessness’ and while that’s true, I think it limits the novel’s potential if you only see it that way. Not only can the aforementioned relationship aspect apply to most people, but the book also deals with other universal themes such as searching for purpose in life, your position amongst your friends, a sense of melancholic nostalgia and more. Beyond everything I already mentioned, the novel was full of sentences that could be taken on their own and written about at great length. To give just one example; ‘Yet I am aware how susceptible to illusion we all are. How disturbing it is that our illusions are often our most important beliefs’.
I look forward to reading more from Kureishi, because while his writing style was simple and straightforward, his attention to detail and his skill for creating such vivid characters was amazing. I recommend this for anyone who wants to read something soul-stirring and provocative, because this really is the book for that.
I give this book five out of five wine bottles.
Books and wine. 