The Avid Reader: Notes on Hopscotch and The Meaning of Night (& Pictures!)

Readers! I promised I'd try to write more frequently, and it's not hard when I have a few things I want to say about Hopscotch and about The Meaning of Night! I have read a lot today and from both books, which has been quite fun.

In regards to a recommendation, I'm not so sure about The Meaning of Night. That's not to say I'm not enjoying it, because despite the novel's setbacks, I am. Though the Victorian-era writing may sometimes feel a bit inauthentic (so can the aura of mystery) this is not the worst thing, as the feeling rarely arises and is quickly overshadowed by surprise at finding a superbly written passage when least expected! Sometimes an author's first novel is virtually flawless, well organized and free of anything superfluous; not every writer can be as lucky, and I think Cox was not. But still, his novel is fun-- a mystery that, though it may sometimes feel silly, is actually quite compelling. Edward, the protagonist, is well characterized. He is a man who may not be evil, but neither is he ill-inclined to things immoral. The novel does start with him murdering a man just to see if he could, after all. Plus, the story unravels slowly, so even at 100 pages I have little background pertinent to the center mystery/drama.

Now, about Hopscotch! Disorder versus order, the purpose of life, the nature of reality-- these are just a few of the metaphysical ideas frequently discussed in Hopscotch, often in heavy, abstruse (a new word I learned today) language that is sometimes easy to lose track of. The good news is that this elevated psychological language comes and goes, as it is mainly the protagonist Horacio who has these deep (deep, deep) musings. Otherwise, the novel is written in language that is still intense but much easier to swallow and none the less breathtaking. The imagery of the novel is impressive; Cortázar uses the most unusually apt descriptions and analogies. The plot is slow ( for quite a few chapters now the characters have not been doing much more than sitting in a room, listening to jazz, drinking and smoking) and the allusions to music (it's all about the jazz in Hopscotch) frequent, but the novel is wonderful. I can't wait to finish chapter 59 and start going by the chapter list provided by the author!

Here are some pictures I've taken! Some are of quotes I liked, one is the five books I had been deciding between, and some are me playing around with different settings. They are taken on my phone, so not the best but still enjoyable. It's fun to mix photography and reading!