5 Cult Classics that are Difficult to Digest
Trying to be credible by expressing dislike for some books
Have you ever questioned yourself whether you’re easily pleased?
It just came to me that I rated the last five books I read this year with either four or five stars. And while I can’t tolerate seeing my face in a photograph or a video, or my voice in a recording, I don’t have the same problem when it comes to my writing. I am a narcissist with my pieces. So, when I was on a rereading binge, I noticed that most of my reviews are full of enthusiasm. It felt as if I do not hate any book. Moreover, I like many books that others don’t. Get this: Morrissey’s List of the Lost is rated 2-stars in Goodreads but I absolutely loved it:
This worries me because I don’t want to be the guy who’s easily pleased. This may be perceived as having low-to-no standards. This can mean that I have no preference. Or that I’m strange for being overenthusiastic. Therefore, to be more credible with my reviews, even if it pains me, I’d share the books that I did not particularly like. And explain why.
Starting with. . .
Of Mice and Men — John Steinbeck
While I loved East of Eden, this one is plain bland. The story is about two country friends who are of opposite characters. George is small and witty while Lennie is burly and mentally challenged. George thinks rationally for both of them but Lennie is not required to be brawny to protect George. Therefore, the friendship is not two-way and that’s the admirable thing about George. He cares for Lennie without ulterior motive. A good story, right?
What’s not to like?
Offensive dialogues. I understand the historical context and the character buildup. But for a novella that is around a hundred pages, I feel like one-third of the book is full of hateful speeches. That’s a lot to tolerate.
A Confederacy of Dunces — John Kennedy Toole
This book is a Pulitzer Prize winner acknowledged posthumously. Ignatius Reilly is convinced that he’s a genius who does not deserve to work on the clock. Therefore, he thinks everyone is below him. This could be true because as the title suggests, this is a confederacy of the dunces. Ignatius may be the least dunce. Through his perspective, he sees how shallow the people around him are. Many readers may find this entertaining because stupid people are supposed to be funny, right?
What’s not to like?
Let’s say that Reily is a genius. The thing is, he is too damn lazy. He thinks so highly of himself but has no initiative to make something happen. The fact that this is told from his point-of-view, readers are privy to his thoughts full of hatred for other people but blind to his own idiocracy. What an annoying dunce.
Cities of the Red Night — William Burroughs
I am trying my best to immerse myself in the works of the beatniks. To be honest, I don’t get them completely.
Cities of the Red Night is the first book in the Red Night Trilogy. The experimental writing is obvious in this work because it is lucid the entire time. Like a dream, you have no know idea where the story will go. Especially with a book full of orgy — anything is possible. And that should be interesting.
What’s not to like?
The drug-infused narration is fun to read in the beginning but reaching the middle part at the same pace gets dull even if the narrative includes non-stop sexual intercourse. It was hard enough to keep track of the story because of its lucid nature then add the slow progression, I ended the book with zero takeaway. I have the second part of the trilogy but I have no intention of reading it ever.
If on a winter’s night a traveler — Italo Calvino
This book is excellent, my friend, and I might get some hate for disliking it. To be fair, I rated this 3/5 for its originality, plus one star for the magical ending. So, I gave this book 4/5 stars despite my personal opinion.
What’s not to like?
I find it extremely difficult to finish a collection of short stories. The beginning of a book is the most challenging for me because it starts from zero. You have no idea about the setting. As readers, our minds are like an empty studio ready for ingress. We need to pay complete attention to the narration to create the setting where the characters will play. The more meticulous the narrator is, the more challenging it is to imagine a place. Once we have built the world as described, don’t we like to savor our success and live in a bit longer?
That’s my problem with short stories. By the time you are loving your stay, you’re already on the last pages. Then you’re onto another story to build a new setting.
And that’s my huge problem with If on a winter… While it has a general story that ties the short stories, it exhausted me to create ten other settings. When one story is over, the place I took time to create is shattered because a new one needs to be constructed. And I could not abandon the book because the general story is interesting. So yeah, I suffered the consequences of my curiosity.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — Ken Kesey
Told from the perspective of a mental hospital patient named Bromden, the “hero” of the book is Randle McMurphy who challenges the boundaries of the mental institution. On the other hand, the “antagonist” is Nurse Ratched who supervises McMurphy and the gang. Bromden chronicles the “heroism” of McMurphy and they demonize the character of the nurse. The book is manipulative that I was convinced to hate the nurse.
What’s not to like?
My first reason is that it’s another bland book that ends without making a point. It did not even make me want to sympathize with the mental hospital patients. Then, I read a review explaining the forced masculinity in the novel that villainized the woman nurse and I further realized how awful the book is.
Among this list, I strongly discourage you to read this one.
Having listed the five books that challenged my tolerance, I realized that this doesn’t make me any credible. Liking and disliking a book differs from reader to reader. While I can’t tolerate annoying characters, maybe you can. However, there are particular books whose context is obsolete for our generation. So let’s not be afraid to abandon a book should it displease us in any way. (But if the displeasing book is required reading for school, then I’m so sorry for you.)
