Cristian 8 - Final Reflection

Welp, we're finally here. It was a wild ride, this book. So many emotions drawn out that made my life more complicated at the end of the day. Shall we summarize then? Is the answer yes? Then there's only one way to do it.

Now this is a story all about how 
my life got flipped, turnt upside down, 
and I'd like take minute so please don't be afraid, 
I'll tell you all about this little girl named Dolores Haze.

In my Paris Riviera, born and raised
On the beaches, were I met my first love craze
Chillin out maxin relaxin all cool
Then my lady died of Typhus and my heart sank in a pool
But then a couple years passed and everything seemed good
Found love from a woman in my neighborhood
But I had one slight problem and again don't be scared but
I think I love my stepdaughter who's within my legal care

So I met lovely Lolita and when she came near
Our romance exploded but her mother was my fear
If anything, tripping and falling into a car was rare
But then the Doctor came knocking to swoop my girl for his affair

I. Pulled. Up to a house called the Pavor Manor 
Unloaded some rounds, but I was busted by the Feds and
The door slammed shut and I was finally here
To sit in my cell until my last breath of air

Yup. That happened.

But in all seriousness with book was definitely an interesting read and was very thought provoking. I had never read a book that challenged my way of thinking quite like Lolita did. Ms. Richey definitely was not kidding when she said it was one of the best works of prose in literature. The language was so intricate that it was even entertaining for the wordplay alone. I feel that the language and vocabulary were challenging enough to give me new words to look up in the dictionary every now and then. But I was not a fan of the French sprinkled throughout; I felt left in the dark when I didn't understand the dialogue or narration.

In reading opinions on the book beforehand, I don't think anything could have prepared me for the plot line and just how emotionally invested I would become with the characters. There was almost a sense of betrayal when I saw Humbert becoming more of an antihero in the story with the deliberate manipulation to get what he wanted. And all that was left  in the end was a dead man, a much later dead man, and a young girl robbed of a healthy childhood. But I'm sure if every story had a happy ending, Disney would have become the gold standard of storytelling. I feel that the ending was smart in leaving room for interpretation by the reader rather than a blatant explanation of morals and ethics. Speaking of which, now having actually read the book, I can say that the novel is very far from advocating for pedophilia. Humbert is a man broken beyond repair and seeing him slowly spiral into depression, dependence, paranoia, and then murderous rage was quite the roller coaster ride.

This project, as late and as grueling was my progress, was a positive experience. 8/10 would recommend.