4 Books for the Second Half of 2020

As explained in the first of these articles, I alternate between fiction and non-fiction. My journey in reading is drawing me more and more into non-fiction these days, as I have given myself the humble ambition of seeking the truth — which is taking me goodness knows where in terms of reading.

However, I find the less I read fiction, my imagination becomes unpractised and lazy, so now for the first time in my life, I need to push myself to read fiction and less non-fiction. It is all too surprising. There are, however, three fiction books on this list.

There is the obvious spoiler alert. Do not read this article if you would like to read any of the books below.

This year, I read The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment — both taking me about a month to finish. They are rewarding reads because they are exceptionally long so you can enjoy your full immersion without having to grieve that it all ends too soon. Unfortunately, The Brothers Karamazov should be on the two lists but is not.

Crime and Punishment is about Raskolnikov’s committing the almost-perfect crime, his mental breakdown, and his path to redemption. It is a simple plotline, but Dostoyevsky takes his time, crafting the tale so that readers can feel the full impact Raskolnikov’s crime has on his mental health, but also on those around him.

Dostoyevsky begins the novel displaying Raskolnikov’s motivations for committing the crime: his financial difficulties, the decrepitude of 19th Century Saint Petersburg, and the protagonist’s lack of direction. Though, Dostoyevsky is writing about the lower class and their financial woes, he is singing no ballad about how the plight of the poor is incentive for murder. For example, he includes Razumikhin as Raskolnikov’s foil, who chooses for his life a direction away from crime, despite his hardships.

Ironically, it did not leave with me a feeling of superior-minded belief that I was incapable of committing murder, but rather I walked away from it praying desperately that I would never ever murder. For if I did, I know that I would be left to the ravages of my conscience — and that would be unbearable. Having said that, Dostoyevsky is gentler than me, ending the book with Raskolnikov’s journey to redemption.

Rebecca has risen in popularity this year for the film adaption was released while a scandal erupted over the tryst between the director and main actress. I read Rebecca before learning of this liaison and will probably not watch the film.

First off, I do not feel a film could necessarily capture the beauty of Rebecca as the novel is a psychological thriller and mystery.

The novel begins with an unnamed female protagonist who, while holidaying in Monaco, meets Max de Winter, a noble man almost double her age. To spare her from a life devoted to accompanying an overbearing employer, de Winter proposes, and within a short space of time the two are married.

When the heroine arrives at his estate, it is quite clear that the memory of his former dead wife haunts Manderley Estate and the heroine. In fact, the new Lady de Winter is so troubled by her memory that every minute if feels as if the former Lady de Winter is going to rise from the dead.

Rebecca, at first, feels like a romance, but the romance is short-lived and soon it becomes a psychological thriller and mystery, which has a pretty decent twist. Much of the uncertainty and panic is created in the unnamed female protagonist’s mind.

In this sense, she is one of the most relatable female characters.

I have to begin by saying that I did not finish Beyond Good and Evil. I read about a third and only understood about fifty percent of what I read. When I got a third of the way, I had to give up [3].

The problem was Nietzsche — and a combination of other factors — exacerbated my insomnia so that I was left with no choice but to abandon the book. I sincerely blame Nietzsche for contributing to insomnia because he petrified me. First, he predicted the First and Second World Wars which I could not believe reading.

One such example is the symptoms of a weak society. My brain went into hyper-alert and suddenly I could not sleep. I still plan to finish

Beyond Good and Evil is not an easy read. Nietzsche is dense, but he is also gifted with a sarcastic, critical sense of humour.

About a quarter of the way, there are roughly two pages of proverbs, including the memorable “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you” (146). These serve as a break from all the dense reading, yet also activate the mind’s contemplation of numerous contentious topics.

I should have read 1984 half a lifetime ago. Orwell’s setting is common knowledge — a fictional representation of the tyrannical and oppressive communist regimes, Big Brother, over the superstate, Oceania. 1984 serves as a close inspection of what such a governmental system would mean for the individual.

Winston Smith is that individual. In the beginning, he only defies Big Brother, the tyrannical government, in small acts. However, when he finds a reason to rebel — namely, falling in love with Julia — he soon intends on being an agent to bring the whole system down.

Interestingly, Orwell’s 1984 reminded me much of the society in Brave New Society. While the former is a dystopia, and the latter a utopia, I could not help feeling that such as states (dystopian and utopian) are two sides of the same coin.

In a dystopia, scarcity is rationed to everyone while hardship and suffering is the standard. In a utopia, abundance is evenly distributed as pleasure and enjoyment are the standard — in fact, there is fervent opposition to any negative feeling, no matter who slight it may be.

Having said that, 1984 is not simply a book about dystopia or communist authoritarian regimes.

It asks what does a totalitarian state need to do to ensure its subjects are so demoralized, fragmented and utterly broken so that even psychological resistance is abandoned.

Notes:

[3] One of my lifelong goals is to read all of Nietzsche’s works so things are not looking too good.

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