First things first, I’m about to lie to you, and you are going to go along with that lie. I’m going to say the last major stop on my trip was Tennessee (Knoxville, specifically), but it wasn’t. In truth, my last major stop was Raleigh, North Carolina. However, it was a last minute addition to my trip and because of this I did not think of a post idea nor did I select a book it. Instead of stressing about it, I’m going to pretend like Tennessee was my last stop, and so are you.
With a state rich in history and beautiful scenery, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have a problem finding a book to represent the place. This turned out to be true, another example of my clairvoyant abilities, and I had a plethora of books to choose from this time. I did consider choosing a nonfiction book this time to change things up a bit, but I ended up picking Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver because the title sounded fun and travel-esque.
Would you look at that water? I’m from Florida, we have springs and beaches galore, but I’ve never seen water that color before in my life! Amazing.
So, here’s the thing about the book: I didn’t read it. Or, more accurately, I didn’t FINISH it. I read 112/433 pages before giving up. It started quite slow, which is something I can usually overcome, but as I continued into the book I realized it was more that I didn’t appreciate the writing style in general. Kingsolver is very descriptive. Her descriptions contain multitudes of enjoyable sensory details and analogies, but she spends more time in those details then she does furthering the story.
An example: the first sixteen pages follow the main character as she hikes up a hill. She’s contemplating whether or not to engage in an affair, and her internal monologue continues for those entire sixteen pages. While Kingsolver jumped right into a conflict (whether or not the main character would have the affair), it was drawn out to the point that it became uninteresting. That doesn’t bode well for an engaging reading experience.
The book never picked up for me, and I can’t review it because I didn’t read the whole thing so it would be plain unfair, but I did think of a topic I’d like to discuss instead: Leaving a book unfinished.
I’ve seen both sides of this argument, and to an extent I can agree with both. Sometimes you should power through a book to help expand your tastes, or learn something about a particular style of writing. On the other hand, why waste time reading a book you don’t enjoy when there are thousands of other books you could be reading? How do you know when you should power through a book, and when you should put it down?
I think in most cases, if you’re not enjoying a book, it’s okay to call it a quits. There are a few occasions where I will power through a book, like reading ALL of a particular author’s works (Mansfield Park took me a WHILE to get through), or if someone highly recommended it to me (so that I can give definitive reasons for not liking it, you know?). Otherwise, once I realize a book doesn’t tickle my fancy, I simply put it aside and start the next one.
I don’t think this is a particularly novel concept (pun FULLY intended), but I do know sometimes we feel pressured to finish a book, and if we don’t want to read that book, we’ll continually put it off. For me, this has a direct affect on my reading momentum, and may cause me to avoid reading for days or even weeks. Instead of being put out by a book we don’t enjoy, I think it’s better to move on to the next one so we don’t waste all that precious time.
If you still feel obligated to finish your books, I understand. I had a lot of trouble with this when I first started reading a book a week. Part of it is my severe guilt complex. I know the author doesn’t know I’m putting their book down, but it still feels like a slight. Writing a book is a difficult thing, and I think everyone who does so (whether it’s good or not) should be appreciated for the effort. The other part is a bit of FOMO, I think. What if the novel gets better and by stopping early I’m missing a spectacular book?
Here’s how I get over those thoughts: I make myself read a third of the book (or at least the first hundred pages for longer novels) before giving up. I feel I can dedicate that much time to something I dislike. Then, I’ve at least read some of the author’s hard work, and if the book hasn’t picked up a third of the way through, I know it’s probably not going to get better.
You don’t have to give up forever, either. The first time I read Pride and Prejudice, I gave up about a third of the way into the book. I found the characters hard to connect with and the writing too dense for the mindset I was in. I’d just been on a fantasy kick, so the abrupt change in genre threw me off enough that I decided I needed a break. Months later, I gave it another shot, and now it’s one of my favorite novels. Timing is a tricky thing, and some books need the right timing to be the right book.
Maybe in a few months I’ll give Flight Behavior another try, but for now I’m okay parting with this book in favor of spending the precious little time I have on this planet reading something more enjoyable.
The Lit Wiz