09 January 2014

The Great Divorce

Hurray for finishing one book before the first assignment dropped (they wouldn't even let us have one free weekend ;_; )

It was surprisingly enjoyable to read for a non-religious person like me.

I really like the setting of the grey town and the foothills.
It's interesting that depending on how long you stay in the grey town, it is either the purgatory or hell itself, that is you have the choice. It's similar to how if you are at a low point in your life, you can either choose to pull yourself out, or let it define you as a person. It's also interesting how the people progressively become isolated as they move away from each other due to quarreling, though I'm not sure what's the significance of this. 
The foothills is also structured interestingly in how the ghosts become more solid the longer they stay. It reminds me of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, of which the title refers to how only living once lifts the weight from the consequences of one's actions, and so having eternal life in the foothills would be heavy?
The dawn and dusk element of the setting is also interesting (yeah my overall impression of the novel is "interesting"). These are times of change, so it contrasts against the the other ghosts who refuse to change. It's almost funny reading the conversations of the other ghosts, stubborn creatures XD

Might pick up some of his other books later in the year.

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