I finished The Light of Day by Graham Swift over one week ago. My extreme dislike of this book turned me off of both reading and writing. For the past week it seemed as if my brain cells were better off being rotted by the television.
Swift’s writing style takes a bit of getting used to, but that wasn’t the cause of my aversion. It almost seemed as if Swift was telling a different story than I was reading. The reader is made to think that they will discover why a murder occurred at the end of the book; a murder that is the central plot of the book. There is never any question as to whodunit, the question is why. But the reason is never revealed and the reader is left wishing they’d never picked up this book to begin with.
This book should be removed from the list of 1001 Books to Read Before You Die.
As far as I can remember, this is a book about irrationality. I have to agree though, I CAN think of 1001 other books I’d rather read or even re-read.
Read It Online
I read Waterland recently and it wasn’t bad. Perhaps you should try it. I’ve reviewed it at
http://johnandsheena.co.uk/books/?p=287
Anyway, have you got a copy of Arukiyomi’s 1001 books spreadsheet?