What happens, then, when you project a book onto the path ahead of yourself and it really isn’t what you expected?
I’ve experienced this twist in expectation as both neutral and negative. The Perpetual Ending by Kristen den Hartog and Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott (read review) were both books that I read with particular expectations, and then halfway through I thought: “Oh. Wait a minute. That’s not what this book is about.” And I could then let the books be what they were, and let myself be open to what they were offering.
With Good Things I Wish You by A. Manette Ansay, I anticipated a totally other journey than what the book was about, and when I finished it I was actually annoyed because I had thought it was promising one thing (a romantic journey) and it gave me another (an intense exploration of non-affection and selfishness in love relationships).When the agreement is broken in this way, whose fault is it? My expectations are my responsibility; a book cannot possibly please everyone… but at the same time, there are some books that will displease readers in similar ways, so it’s not just accident or personal taste.
How fragile is that promise then, how tender the line between writer and reader! How amazing when the accident happens in the other direction: When I read The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, I had no idea what to expect at all—I don’t even know if I had read the book jacket—and I thought the story was enchanting (if a little uneven).Or how strange when you find yourself reading a book at breakneck speed, and then finish it and decide you didn’t even like it.
I think, in the end, the mystery is intact. I will continue to stumble upon books, like some, dislike others, and sometimes, by astonishing good luck and to my great surprise and satisfaction, find some of those gems that make me remember why I read in the first place.
2 comments:
I try not to know much about a book when I start reading it. Whenever I have an expectation of what a book is about and it turns out to be different, I often feel cheated or lied to at first and then I have to sit and go back over what I have read so far to decide if I understood it and then if I liked it. Or just to find out what I think of the actual book I have read so far! It can be a little exhausting!
I've never really thought of my "relationship" with the author of the book I'm reading as an agreement (surprising since I have a law degree!). But I guess it is an agreement of sorts even if I'm not familiar with the author.
The idea of re-writing the ending of a book whose ending I don't particularly like is interesting. I had a similar discussion with my husband yesterday when I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending of a boo I recently read. I wish the author had done a little more with the character. But I didn't feel slighted, more like I was being too demanding and not respecting the author's choice!
You given me a lot to think about Brogan! Thank you for 2 wonderful posts!
How nice to hear your reflections on reading & expectations, Amy. I wonder if this conflict of expectation is in part because as readers we want something "new" but we don't want to stray too far outside our comfort zone...
I agree about 'exhausting'! How hard it is to 'undo' an expectation, once it's happened!
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