When we were planning the RWU Lounge topics, I thought I knew exactly where I stood with this one. Life is too short, there are too many wonderful books waiting to be read, and if a book isn't working, why not move on?
Then last week happened.
I checked out Land by Maggie O'Farrell, and from the very first pages I was completely under its spell. The novel opens with a father and son, Tomás and Liam respectively, working for the British Ordnance Survey in Ireland, ten or fifteen years after the Great Hunger. They are recording the empty homes and graveyards scarred by the famine.
The story shifts into a family saga, and the hardships become relentless. Page after page, there seemed to be no relief, and it felt as if it had been written by a different author. At first I kept telling myself to push through. Surely my patience would be rewarded and it would all come together somehow.
But then I noticed something. I wasn't looking forward to picking the book up each evening. In fact, I was actively dreading it. That was when I knew it was time to return the library book without finishing it. And I felt terrible.
Part of that was because I admire Maggie O'Farrell so much. I loved Hamnet, and I thoroughly enjoyed The Marriage Portrait. She's an author whose work I genuinely look forward to reading. Her prose is exquisite and evocative, her characters feel completely alive, and she always seems to have something meaningful to say.
So this wasn't a matter of disliking the writing or deciding an author wasn't for me. It was almost the opposite. I respected the book so much that setting it aside felt like giving up on something important. Maybe there was something wrong with me as a reader or I had missed some crucial details.
This experience made me realize that deciding not to finish a book isn't always as simple as I had thought. Sometimes the decision is easy. Sometimes it isn't. Sometimes you stop because a book isn't good. Other times you stop because it's too heavy for where you are right now, or because it's asking something of you that you simply can't give. But whatever the reason, I still believe that readers shouldn't feel obligated to finish every book they begin.
But now I understand that choosing to DNF a book can come with a surprising amount of guilt, especially when it's written by an author you deeply admire, and especially when it's a book you were certain you were going to love. So I'm curious.
Have you ever stopped reading a book that you actually thought was excellent? Have you ever returned a book unfinished, not because it was poorly written, but because it simply wasn't the right book for you at that moment? Or do you make a concerted effort to finish almost every book you begin?
I'd love to hear your stories!
Be sure to check in with Kym and Carole to see what they have to say about finishing what you start.
I used to be a "finish every book that you start" kind of person, but not now. Life really is too short and there are way too many books that I have not read to spend time with one that is not appealing. I will say, however, that I have finished books that I don't like (hello Young Mungo) but that is usually for a good reason (book club, etc.). Recently I checked out six (!!) books from my library and I can already tell that at least one of them will go back after only a couple of pages read. I'm in the queue for Land and am looking forward to it...so I hope my experience with it is better than yours!
ReplyDeleteOh, Bonny . . . you have described my reading experience with Land exactly - and eloquently. I absolutely loved the first half, and then wondered what happened in the second half. And it pained me greatly, but . . . I skimmed through to the end (a very intentional skim) but could find no reason to read more deeply. Yes. Maggie O'Farrell can write beautifully. But Land . . . was a bit of a clunker. Even authors we admire greatly can lose the plot -- and I think the most famous authors don't get the feedback loop from editors and early readers that they really need. (If it pained you to put the book aside, and it pained me to give it only 3 stars, think of how hard it might have been for her editor?)
ReplyDeleteIn thinking about this topic this week, I came to the conclusion that our reasons for bailing on a book are often conflicted -- and usually very personal.
I used to feel a tremendous amount of guilt about not finishing a book and then everyone was reading Tara Westover's Educated. It was on all the book lists and so I picked up a copy at my library... a dozen or so pages in and I just could not. At all. So I returned the book and it felt like I somehow freed myself from a self-inflicted prison. I don't think reading should induce dread to pick up a book... no matter the author. I just picked up Land from the library (yeah Libby!) and I agree with you, Maggie O'Farrell is a great writer... but if the book is making me dread picking it up. I will move on. And that is okay!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, many times! This habit has certainly accelerated as I have gotten older and let go of a lot of "shoulds". I have returned several books in the last few months. I check some of them out because they have been reviewed well, are popular, or might be about a subject I find interesting. Then I read the arbitrary, but requisite, 50-100 pages and make the decision to return it. I don't feel any guilt whatsoever. If the book does not engage me or makes me feel down, I just don't need to read it. As you know, I started Land this weekend, and I already feel that it may be a DNF. I am going to plough along for a while, but if I return it I always know I can come back to it later. No guilt over what you choose to read, Bonny, never!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm better at doing it than I used to be, I always struggle with not finishing a book. There are instances where it's easy (the book is badly written or offensive in some way), but often I assume that whatever is bothering me will be resolved at the end, particularly if it's a book that readers I know and trust have enjoyed. And if it's a book club read, I feel I need to finish (though you three have a pretty good track record for picking books I've liked and have wanted to finish!).
ReplyDeleteYou and Kym had a very similar reaction to Land. I felt that shift as well but it didn't put me off, I actually thought that part was a bit more accessible and less literary. But it sure was a lot of trauma and tragedy for one family. The last book I DNF'd was Alchemised. It was definitely NOT for me.
ReplyDeleteHa! I did finish Land, but the last 200 pages were a slog, so I felt much the same as you. Generally I'm okay with not finishing a book if it's not going anywhere for me. I did that with Margaret Atwood's recent memoir. But Land felt like I needed to finish because I had already sunk so much time into it.
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