I'm reading Lolita right now. I find it disturbing, to say the least. The language is beautiful, the narrator both disgusting and worthy of pity. Nabokov was truly a master. I can't believe this is the first work of his I've read.
What to say about Humbert Humbert and his little Lo? Hum sickens me and fascinates me at the same time. Lo may be spoiled, but I hurt for her. Her childhood is gone, taken by first one lover and then another. I can see why the book was so controversial, why it was banned. I don't agree with banning books, of course, but I understand how people could get so worked up over this one. They could also choose not to read it, so no excuse there.
I have chosen to read it, mostly because I've always wanted to. The opening lines are incredible, both poetic and full of promise. Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.
I've also started to read Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking, a gift from Cyn in Carson City. 🙂 I thought it started a bit slow, and I think she bogs the narrative down with unnecessary details, but I like the premise: bounty hunter witch opens her own shop with a pixie, a vampire she doesn't fully trust, and a contract on her head. Mayhem ensues. And I just read in Publisher's Lunch that Harrison recently inked another three book contract for more Rachel Morgan novels.
Speaking of reading and writing, next Saturday evening I'm attending a taping at Hawaii Public Radio. My friend Michael Little (see sidebar for his webpage) will be reading from his story “Mango Lessons,” which appears in the current Bamboo Ridge Anthology. Yay, Michael! Michael informs me there will be wine and pupus, too, so I look forward to eating, drinking, and being entertained. 🙂 If you have time, read Michael's short story “Walter! Walter!”, which won the Honolulu Magazine's fiction contest in 2002. It's a great story.