This recommended to me with the words "I want to see what you think of it - my friend and I disagreed." Having read it, I can absolutely understand the confusion over what exactly one feels about this novel. It was written by Lionel Shriver, whose work I've wanted to read for some time now (I keep seeing copies of 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' in bookshops, and vaguely feeling I should read it), so I was happy to oblige.
The novel itself is a sort of written version of 'Sliding Doors' - we start a conventional a story and then our heroine has a choice (to kiss a man or not to kiss him) and, depending on which option she chooses, the story splits. In one she leaves her long-term boyfriend for this man and in the other, she stays, feeling smugly virtuous.
We then follow both storylines, as they diverge owing to the many minutes decisions associated with the big one, giving us the chance to decide which was the better option - what would you have done? Now, I have to admit I had some problems with it. Firstly, Shriver doesn't go to too much effort to hide which of the options she believes to be the best, thus skewing the result somewhat (I won't tell you which she preferred, it'd spoil the story).
Secondly, she does actually cheat. The idea is that, all else being the same, we should investigate how this one act can change someone's life. But (here is the problem) she doesn't leave all else the same. One thing happens (again, I won't tell you what that is) in one story which, for no apparent reason, does not happen in the other. Why? Because Shriver wants you to pick one story over the other, I assume - there is no other possible reason.
My final problem was the attitude permeating the novel. It seemed to suggest that, no matter what you decide to do, you lose. Life sucks, game over. I realise this is supposed to show realism and a awareness that the world isn't perfect but, while I agree that it isn't perfect, I don't believe that you're screwed no matter what you do. Why should I? Even if it's true, why would I want to live my life with that ringing in my ears? Let me at least pretend it's possible to be happy!
Don't get me wrong - the novel is beautifully written and extremely readable. It just depressed me slightly to read this novel, which I felt could be brilliant, only for the attitudes behind it to ruin it for me. (I also took issue with the heroine's "post-feminist" view that all she needs to make her happy is a man. If it were me, I'd have dumped them both. But if I say that, it turns my final problem into my penultimate problem instead, so I won't.)
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