This is what, as I have promised some of my friends, I will do after reading a book from now onwards - that is, to write my personal review of the book. I thought this will be a good way for me to not only internalize the book myself but also to share my views. After spending nearly 2 weekends and many evenings during the two weeks, I finally completed the 487 page volume of a book by Douglas Kennedy called Leaving the world.
This fictional novel is based on the story of an astute women in her late thirties, professionally accomplished, monetarily well-off, at the verge of calling it quits. And, what gets her to that point is series of tumultuous events and struggles with the in-sanity that is life. Without giving out too much of the story, many of her struggles both personal and professional are what many urban dwellers can identify with, even though she seemed to have lived through perhaps 6 lifetimes worth. I must admit that Douglas' style of writing is quite gripping and hence, apart from only a few detours where I found myself a bit lost, I was riding the emotional waves that the writer was surfing. Apart from providing the raptures of popular writing, Douglas does compel you to ask yourself some very philosophical questions. Good thing he only raises these questions but does not attempt to preach- which, is where introspective power of the narrative consumes you.
Through the course of Jane’s (protagonist) journey, I could live with and through the many turns her life takes in her pursuit of a little share of happiness. I found myself questioning her judgment at some points, while learning from her lessons in others but the proverbial “straw to break the camel’s back” hits , that finally takes her overboard was something out of the left field. Even though you could smell it 3 pages away but still could not prepare yourself for it fully. It was a point where I had to put the book away for a couple days to absorb the shock. It exposed to me my biggest vulnerability and colored my emotions pitch black. I, just like, Jane could not see any way out of it. After all, how do you deal with it? How could anyone deal with it? Is the answer really to end it all? As sanctimonious as we can be towards human masses, the philosophical question about our fundamental role in this world bares it’s appropriating face at these moments. For all the pursuits of prestige and power, life can spin us around in a jiffy and show us what we really are.
And, that is why I found it particularly interesting that the protagonist starts her story with an examination of a debate between Einstein and Heisenberg over the “Uncertainty principle” only to arrive at the end of her story with evidence that the uncertainty which engulfs our very own existence says that we are nothing more than a particle floating with very little control over our own destinies (my derived conclusion ~ not quoted verbatim)
And, as this particle floats between this world and the netherworld, it imparts very little impact, if at all at the equation of life at large but an immense one at the destinies of other particles around it. So, at the end, you are left with a feeling of lull (something akin to the one you get when at the ocean side absorbing it’s magnificence) wondering what are we doing here in this world.
This fictional novel is based on the story of an astute women in her late thirties, professionally accomplished, monetarily well-off, at the verge of calling it quits. And, what gets her to that point is series of tumultuous events and struggles with the in-sanity that is life. Without giving out too much of the story, many of her struggles both personal and professional are what many urban dwellers can identify with, even though she seemed to have lived through perhaps 6 lifetimes worth. I must admit that Douglas' style of writing is quite gripping and hence, apart from only a few detours where I found myself a bit lost, I was riding the emotional waves that the writer was surfing. Apart from providing the raptures of popular writing, Douglas does compel you to ask yourself some very philosophical questions. Good thing he only raises these questions but does not attempt to preach- which, is where introspective power of the narrative consumes you.
Through the course of Jane’s (protagonist) journey, I could live with and through the many turns her life takes in her pursuit of a little share of happiness. I found myself questioning her judgment at some points, while learning from her lessons in others but the proverbial “straw to break the camel’s back” hits , that finally takes her overboard was something out of the left field. Even though you could smell it 3 pages away but still could not prepare yourself for it fully. It was a point where I had to put the book away for a couple days to absorb the shock. It exposed to me my biggest vulnerability and colored my emotions pitch black. I, just like, Jane could not see any way out of it. After all, how do you deal with it? How could anyone deal with it? Is the answer really to end it all? As sanctimonious as we can be towards human masses, the philosophical question about our fundamental role in this world bares it’s appropriating face at these moments. For all the pursuits of prestige and power, life can spin us around in a jiffy and show us what we really are.
And, that is why I found it particularly interesting that the protagonist starts her story with an examination of a debate between Einstein and Heisenberg over the “Uncertainty principle” only to arrive at the end of her story with evidence that the uncertainty which engulfs our very own existence says that we are nothing more than a particle floating with very little control over our own destinies (my derived conclusion ~ not quoted verbatim)
And, as this particle floats between this world and the netherworld, it imparts very little impact, if at all at the equation of life at large but an immense one at the destinies of other particles around it. So, at the end, you are left with a feeling of lull (something akin to the one you get when at the ocean side absorbing it’s magnificence) wondering what are we doing here in this world.
