Sunday, 13 September 2015

Journey to the End of the Night – Luis-Ferdinand Céline



I read this book in Bolivia, in the internet-less and TV-less flat of my wife’s grandma, with no people around me. The perfect place to dedicate your full attention to a book. And yet, I got bored, my mind wondered, and I frequently asked myself what was the point of this novel.

Sure, the writing is innovative, but other than that? Wikipedia talks about cynic humour. I couldn’t see that. Sure, seeing Bardamu travel from place to place can be exciting, but what’s left after the novelty of the different location dies out? Very little, and even the final scene left me completely unmoved.

My literary taste is probably too underdeveloped to appreciate the uniqueness of this book. I’ll happily trade my copy of it for anything with a linear story and a protagonist who is not such a jackass. Just kidding: I would never give my copy away, I think it’s a book you need to have, even if just to dismiss it.

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