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• Author: Vladimir Nabokov
• Category: Fiction

A classic and one that I had placed in my list for a long while now and just never dared to buy. I did not realize just how bad it must look for me to go and read Lolita after reading Oryx and Crake, which as I mentioned dealt with some issues of child pornography. Bad freaking timing…I swear that is all it was. But anyway, as Nabokov explains through his fictional introduction, this book is not pornographic and so, if that is what you are expecting, you better put the book down and go read something else. This is in fact…a love story. Not to say it is not a messed up love story, because it is about a fully adult male and a twelve year old girl, which…regardless of how you look at it, is all sorts of wrong.

The interesting thing here, is that if you replace pedophilia with just about any other taboo romance, it becomes one hell of a romantic concept. What Nabokov has done is gone for the jugular and touched on the most unacceptable of taboos and in turn given it one of the most beautifully worded romance stories. But…I do underscore the romance, which, initially was beginning to wear on me. While this looked to be a happy story, I actually considered putting the book down, mostly because I do not do romance so well. This too, Nabokov seems to have planned nicely, because just as I though this book may be too much of a love story for me, the author throws in the wrench into everything he has methodically built up. And in my opinion, that saves the story, where the happy ending seems forever ruined and the mystery begins.

Having now finished and being able to contemplate it from afar, the book rounds up nicely. It does some things with language which are just absolutely stunning and while I could do with a little bit less of romance and a bit more of the mystery, I do think this is a very good book and recognize it as such.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (I am sure this is 5 out of 5 for most people, but for my taste? I docked half a point)
Notes: Umm…taboo romance, but you already know the deal.