Dear Books That Confuse Me,
(but it is also kind of you)
I've given you multiple chances-- more chances than I've given other types books-- but it's just not working out.
The thing is, I always go into you thinking that I'm going to like unwinding the meaning inside of you, pulling out the answers, interpreting your beautiful words into meaning. But I really don't like doing those things & I think it's time we've went our separate ways.
It all started with Jellicoe Road, a book that confused me every step of the way. I spent a majority of that book wondering what the heck was going on, who all 999 characters were, and why I was supposed to like (or dislike) them.
Then I tried Wink Poppy Midnight and I was like-- am I missing something??? Is there a story here, and I just don't "get" it? I ended up thinking this book was okay, but I still felt like something went over my head or there was something I was supposed to be inferring that I just wasn't getting.
There were other books, but my final straw with you was A Room Away From the Wolves. I was defintiely 🙃 the entire time. Is it supposed to be about the atmosphere only? Am I really supposed to just come up with what is happening in my own head? Is there something happening that I'm just not catching on to?
That's the thing with you Confusers-- I spend way too much of my time while reading you thinking that I am too stupid to understand you. And I don't love feeling stupid. A good book should make me get lost in it until I don't even know that I'm still reading. With you, I am totally aware that I am reading, and I'm totally aware that my head hurts from thinking and feeling frustrated.
Let's not frustrate each other anymore. I'll leave you to the people who are either smarter than me, or the people just don't need to know all the details & can enjoy just floating on an feeling-- and you can leave me to books that tell me what is happening and don't frustrate me.
Yes to this! Don't get me wrong, I totally admire authors and envy their abilities to come up with ideas and write better than I will ever be able to, but sometimes I think they try too hard to be smart or clever? I like books that make me think, but not books where I can't even figure out what's going or what the author is getting at.
ReplyDeleteYES!!! I like thinking and trying to figure things out, but I also like it spelled out if I am right or not. If I wanted to write the story, I would write the story and not read someone else's writing where I still need to come up with all the answers myself!!
DeleteI feel exactly the same way! I really disliked Wink Poppy Midnight for the same reason. When books like that are done well, I can respect them, but I will never enjoy them. I just always feel so stupid. Espcially when they come highly recommended, I always feel like I've missed something or read it completely wrong. I want to know where we're going during the book, not just get the whole story in the last chapter after being misled and manipulated throughout. Also, I hate unrealiable narrators. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI think I giggled the whole time as I read this. Though I usually end up liking some of the confusing books, I totally understand the effort it takes for you to read a book like that. I feel like that when I read SFF books, for the most part. They always take me longer to read, and I cannot ingest them via audiobook, because all the details and complicated world rules. That's why I have started reading less and less SFF books.
ReplyDeleteI love this post haha, and I fully relate to your confusion over Jellicoe Road. I kept putting it off for a looong time, but due to all the fantastic things I heard I decided to give it a chance... and I kept on reading even though I dislike it from the get go. I could punch myself sometimes, I tell you haha.
ReplyDeleteVeronika @ The Regal Critiques
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