3.0 out of 5 stars Not a romance novel...
By Cinnamintzon September 13, 2016
I just finished reading L’Amant (The Lover) by Marguerite Duras in the original French. I totally understand why Duras was so disappointed with the 1992 film that was based on her novel, saying she didn’t recognize her story at all. This is NOT a romance novel. It is a novel of self-annihilation, of existential ennui and alienation, of children from a highly dysfunctional home who become broken people, little bits of flotsam adrift on tropical waters between France and Vietnam.
To me, there was nothing erotic or sensual about L’Amant, contrary to what I expected. It is written in a strikingly original, jarring, stream-of-consciousness style that immerses the reader in the protagonist’s state of mind. She repeats herself often, like a drunken confession. Primarily, the novel is one of shame and alienation, and to this end it is extremely effective.
3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing special here
By jmm28 on August 26, 2016
It was okay, but it honestly seemed a bit pretentious and there are a lot of non sequitur anecdotes included.
The characters are extremely complex, and the ending is very somber (in a good way), but it was so slow-moving and confusing as she jumped from different time periods to memories that have nothing to do with the actual novel, and you're left wondering what the point of the entire thing is.
Normally, I like literature that makes me think, but this just gave me a headache. I think it's ~100 pages, but it felt so much longer because it just bored me to tears.
