This has been one of the most unique courses I have ever taken at UBC. Every single book was such a novel challenge. At the beginning of this term I was scared that I wasn’t going to be able to keep up with all the reading, and was especially worried that my comprehension of the […]
Faces in the Crowd by Valeria Luiselli depicts a woman living in Mexico City with her husband and children, writing a novel about a woman living in New York City. It is not clear whether this story is the past life of the writer, or if these memories are just fictitious creations. Just like the […]
A whole lot of sex and rape. This has been so far one of my favourite novels to read. I think this is due to my love for true crime, and psychology. My passion for true crime was satisfied through the exciting pursuit of the robbers by Silva. Additionally, the use of evidence in police […]
The Trenchcoat by Norman Manea was a book which had importance and meaning, hidden by the disguise of normalcy. At first read, the book depicts the drama and relationships of many characters, and displays their conversations over dinner parties, and in the privacy of their homes. It is only in the small details where one […]
I felt that this novel perfectly encapsulated what it is like to write an essay. Even while writing this blogpost I am struggling to pinpoint exactly what I want to say and how I want to say it. I find myself wanting to plan it out from beginning to end, with an intro, middle, and […]
This novel is incredibly sad. Between the war that their society is going through, the abusive nature of Quimet, and Natalias’ plans and intentions to kill her children and herself. I’ve been having a hard time figuring out which parts of the novel I want to address, like perhaps the complicated yet intriguing relationship between […]
This book was long. Yet so immersive and so interesting, with its integrated Quechuan words with their translations at the footnote. I found the usage of these untranslated words helped me understand and visualize the culture the author has tried to portray. In addition to the descriptions of towns, the churches, the bell ringing, lighting […]
This book for me was the best one yet. I swear being able to fully understand what I am reading makes it all the more enjoyable. In the lecture the professor talked about the power of fiction. I found it interesting that although this is obviously a work of fiction, it never felt as though […]
Nadja, by André Breton, begins with a diary-entry-like format depicting the daily life living in France. The narrator talks about his favourite movies, places he’s visited, people he sees, plays he’s attending, and so on. However, suddenly the focus changes, becoming all about a newfound obsession. A girl named Nadja. I found the relationship between […]
We were instructed to read Combray by Marcel Proust, and it sure was an interesting read. Although I found it confusing and difficult, in some way I found it engaging and fascinating. I am not exactly sure how to write about my thoughts and feelings on this read, so bear with me. The first thing […]
