The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Penguin Press, 2017
423 pages
Motivation for reading:
This is a book I pulled off the library shelf nearly a year ago during my inaugural "book sampling hour." Sitting in a comfy chair at our pleasantly cool library on a spring afternoon, I read 15-20 pages of several books, including The Idiot. I ended up choosing another book, but continued to think about this one and knew I would come back to it eventually.
Opening lines:
I didn't know what email was until I got to college. I had heard of email and knew that in some sense I would "have" it. "You'll be so fancy," said my mother's sister, who's married to a computer scientist, "sending your e, mails." She emphasized the "e" and paused before "mail."
My thoughts:
The Idiot is a coming-of-age story about the daughter of Turkish immigrants as she begins her freshman year at Harvard in 1995. It's a literary novel, cerebral and full of ideas... exactly what you might expect with a Harvard freshman protagonist.
It turned out to be an unusual reading experience for me. Far from a page-turner, this book required more than my average amount of concentration. I was not especially drawn to the main character, didn't fully understand her, and yet was curious to see how her year would unfold. Additionally, I was never in a hurry to get back to this novel, but was happy to continue whenever I did.
This was a read/listen combination for me, listening on my walks and reading at home. The audiobook is read by the author. Her narration was adequate, though not memorable.
The Idiot is very well written and said to be autobiographical. It was nominated for both the Pulitzer Prize and Women's Prize for Fiction in 2018. Batuman has written other books, both fiction and memoir, and is a staff writer at The New Yorker.
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐💫
I haven't heard of this book or author that I can remember, sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteVicki - I remember being curious about it when it was released, but then it never got much buzz. Don't even remember it being nominated for those awards! Worth the read, even if I didn't love it... the ratings for the sequel seem to be even higher.
DeleteNot sure this one is for me. But I do love that you take the time to read 15-20 pages of a number of books before choosing one.
ReplyDeleteHelen - The audience for this book is limited and I'm probably not the ideal reader, but still found it worthwhile. I really love our FL library... so many comfortable, out of the way seating areas and an excellent selection, too. Last year I started reading the beginning of several books before checking them out. Look forward to doing that again when we get back!
DeleteYour review makes me want to read this far more than the title, which I think is absolutely awful. I like the premise a lot, and I think I might opt for the audio because I tend to finish what I start with audio whereas with print, I sometimes will let books languish that don't insist upon being read!
ReplyDeleteJaneGS - I completely agree ... that title is awful! The book was strangely compelling though. We'll see how long it takes me to get to Either/Or.
DeleteI loved this one and enjoyed Either/Or just as much, I think. She is just so ODD but in an intriguing likable way? Yet isn't dippy about her doubts on life. Anyway, I think I mentioned elsewhere, that the pie scene was great. Are you back in Florida? Are you getting mail at that address?
ReplyDelete-Care Care's Books and Pie
Care - She is such an odd character, for sure, yet still so interesting and likable to me! Great pie scene... thought of you. Will read Either/Or sometime in 2024.
DeleteWe are still in CT (longest we've been away from Sanibel in nearly a decade - Hurricane Ian changed a lot of things) but will be back there shortly after New Year. I'll send you a letter. Not sure you have the CT address.
I've wondered about this book as the title and cover are kind of out there but make you look twice. Glad to hear you enjoyed it and I could see myself picking this up!
ReplyDeleteIliana - This book is certainly not for every reader, but I'm glad I stuck with it!
DeleteI think I picked this up years ago ... but I didn't get very far. It seems it would've taken me forever, lol, somehow I was a bit lost in it. I'm glad you persevered and got something from it. The idea of it did appeal to me ... about her Turkish background ... and coming of age at an Ivy school.
ReplyDeleteSusan - This was a slow read, but oddly compelling... such an unusual character and most of the time I just didn't 'get' her. We'll see how her sophomore year goes! Ha!
Delete