Reading Emotional Books


Here's what happens. You pick up a book you are really excited about reading and which you have heard about a lot from your friend. You've read the blurb, which looked pretty promising and seen some amazing five star reviews. To add to its appeal, it also happens to be one of those books by one of those writers who almost everybody swears by.

So you get down to read and you like how it starts and you read more and you like how it's going. You like the characters, you like the humour, you like the use of metaphors in it. So you keep reading and you keep liking, so much so that you read more than three fourth of it in a night. The next day you continue with it and finally finish it. Seems good enough, right? You've read it fast! You must be feeling good, happy, contented, excited(even more than how much you were before starting it), right? 

No! You're not! Why?

Because in being so excited and so expectant and letting your overgrown pumpkin-sized brain work overtime to guess what happens next, like you were reading a suspense novel, you destroy the whole reading experience. You literally eat the book and spit out the surprise prematurely and hence don't know what to feel, or worse, don't even care enough to try and feel something when it actually arrives. You then follow the rest of the book like a zombie, sans-emotions and clumsy. And when the end comes, you are left wondering what to do or how to react, because there is no feeling, no emotion. Your brain is just idle.

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Exactly a week before now, probably right at the time I am going to post this, I finished reading Looking For Alaska by John Green. The above three paragraphs was how I felt, or not felt..

I went through an almost same experience of insensitivity when I read another book last year, except that I really liked this one while I border detested the earlier one.

For some reason, looking at it in retrospect, I think the reason for this impassive behaviour could also be that love stories don't move me now. It's not that I am a complete cold-heart, I cried reading My Sister's Keeper even though I've watched the movie before reading the book, and I feel deeply moved by a lot of books and movies. Maybe it's just that I've had a little too much of sad love stories.

P.S: I know Looking For Alaska was more a coming-of-age, friendship and love mix kind of a story. But still. 


Images taken from Google.

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Edit: For some reason, this post took an awkward turn and ended on the I-don't-like-love-stories note which is actually not what I wanted to say at first. I would have taken the last para down because it's confusing the reader, but I'll just let it be(for you to ignore) and add that I understand that it's not a love story, but something much more comprehensive and profound (literally and metaphorically, if I do compare it with the last years book, which was a dud).

And although it doesn't look like it, I actually liked the book for it's entirety. It was just not being able to feel emotions part that made me feel left out of the soul of the book. That is why I am going to read it again too. :)

Comments

  1. Wait. Yes, Looking for Alaska is more coming-of-age and blah blah what you said, but it's not just a love story! That is just a part of the whole story, which isn't actually a whole story. I mean, it is a book that talks "reality". That what you always look for may sometimes be not possible to get. That you sometimes have to survive without solid answers.

    I think maybe because you're the kind who goes away from hyped about things, or because you already had set expectations, or maybe you focused on the love angle of it, or whatever reason, you think it didn't move you as much as it could/should/would have. (And ughh!!! Are you comparing this to that ghastly "I too had a Love Story"? Shall I come over there and a frying pan over your head or what!)

    I am glad though, that you still liked it for the most part. Especially the metaphors part. I'm going to read this book over and over and definitely going to (finally) write it's review :P Now go read The Fault in Our Stars and do not read it with any expectations. Also don't red any reviews or ratings before reading the book. People say TFIOS is more moving while I found LFA more profound, so who knows which one you'd end up liking more? :D

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    1. **And hit a frying pan (Rapunzel style in Tangled :P )

      Also don't *read any reviews

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    2. Firstly, No! I didn't have any set expectations like 'I wish this book be this way or I wish this story turns out to be this much amazing', No. That would be an insult to the book to begin with, right. I think I just have this switch in my brain or whatever that turns on when I know that the book is going to be emotional and there is going to be an accident/catastrophe/breaking-point of some kind later on and which makes me brace for it in advance. It's just weird and bad because that ruins the reading experience then. :/

      Second is also a No. I absolutely did not focus only on the love angle of it. For some reason, this post took an awkward turn and ended on the I-don't-like-love-stories note which is actually not what I wanted to say at all in it, I wanted to talk about what happened when I read this book and how it affected me and this last paragraph makes it look bad and me a sucker for love stories. I would have taken it down now because it's confusing the reader, but it's posted already, so I'll add an edit rather than deleting :)(thanks for taking that point up, I'll copy paste some from this comment only since it's already a longer than the post comment anyway :P)

      Third, No.(Yes, I am having a field day today :P) I wasn't comparing the books in any way. That would ghastly and absolutely inexcusable. I think I was trying to say that I have gone through a similar emotional freeze earlier too. Thinking of which again, I'd say it depends totally on me and not the book.

      And although it doesn't look like it, I actually liked the book for it's entirety. It was just not being able to feel emotions part that made me feel left out of the soul of the book. That is why I am going to read it again too. :)

      P.S: I didn't read any review or reader comments apart from yours before reading the book. I just saw people giving it five stars and got excited :P

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    3. Yeah right. Say No to everything I say. -_-

      But it's okay. You liked the book. That's what I care about. Okay bye :P

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  2. Usama....it was not a love story for God sake.....!!!! There are so many things in book that move you (i mean us and not you)... :-/

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    1. well--after reading your reply to ashna, "And although it doesn't look like it, I actually liked the book for it's entirety. It was just not being able to feel emotions part that made me feel left out of the soul of the book. That is why I am going to read it again too. :)" I understand now....well--kind of!!

      PS-- I am going to re read this book too...i do it with all books i like when i feel that somewhere i have missed out on certain emotions..

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    2. 'Kind of understand' works for me ;) It was more of a take out post that I did. Having penned/typed my thoughts, I felt lighter and later - wiser too. So yeah, I did like the book and I will read it again in the near future. :D

      P.S: How many stars are you giving to this book? ;)

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    3. I am very bad with giving stars, I mean rating :P. I mean my feelings for a book ( or anything except a solid few) keeps changing. Though Looking for Alaska a book I would go back again and again too, just to figure out my feelings and thoughts not for the book but for the entirety of it. I have stopped rating books and I am going to delete my ratings for all books. I hope by now you know my quirky-ness.

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    4. Hehe, yes I know. And rating books, though a very flawed concept, helps others, when done at a large scale to see if it is a good book for a particular genre.

      The concept is flawed because each time you read a book, well those worth reading more than once, you feel slightly different and the number of stars totally depend on the mood you were in when you finished a book or it's better to say, while you were reading a book.
      I change ratings sometimes too, but very rarely, when after a long time i see the book again and see how I may have done injustice to other books or to that particular book earlier by rating it high or low.

      Talking about Alaska, again, since it was the first book by John Green that I read and since I liked the character of Alaska(obviously) a lot, I am going to go back and read it again. Hopefully in the near future like I said above ;)

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  3. That's why I was told never be stagnant, rather I needed to explore many genres. I do understand what you have said for I have been there many times. I take my own time to finish one novel. :) I am a fast reader but it will not be much of fun to read it so fast.

    Really liked your post.

    :)

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    1. Thank You Sridevi. It's something which has been on the increase I feel. I suppose it might be because of the stagnancy after all, I do need to explore more. :)

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