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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Leaving this unrated bc I'm too dumb to understand what I just read.
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Sadegh Hedayat's The Blind Owl isn't your typical bedtime story. It's a whirlwind descent into the psyche of a tormented narrator, but unlike some dark narratives, it's surprisingly readable. Hedayat's prose manages to be both fragmented and strangely fluid, pulling you through the narrator's descent with a disturbing ease. It's a one-sitting wonder, not only because it's short, but mainly because the story grips you and refuses to let go until the very end.
The emotions and phenomena the narrator encounters are as varied as they are unsettling. He grapples with love, loss, and a suffocating sense of alienation above all. The line between reality and delusion blurs, leaving the reader questioning everything. But within this unsettling landscape, there's a strange beauty almost ethereal. Hedayat's use of symbolism, particularly the recurring image of the owl, adds another layer of intrigue.
And then there's the ethereal woman, the object of the narrator's obsessive love, maybe a strange case of de Clérambault's. Her character is never fully fleshed out, yet her presence hangs heavy throughout the story. She's an enigma, a symbol, and a testament to the enduring power of a haunting image. Even after finishing the novel, you can't help but wonder about her and the impact she has on the narrator – and by a logical extension, the reader.
The Blind Owl is a challenging but rewarding read. It's not a book for everyone, but for those who dare to delve into its depths, it offers a truly unique and unforgettable experience. An experience I didn't even imagine was waiting for me when I picked up this rather thin volume.
The emotions and phenomena the narrator encounters are as varied as they are unsettling. He grapples with love, loss, and a suffocating sense of alienation above all. The line between reality and delusion blurs, leaving the reader questioning everything. But within this unsettling landscape, there's a strange beauty almost ethereal. Hedayat's use of symbolism, particularly the recurring image of the owl, adds another layer of intrigue.
And then there's the ethereal woman, the object of the narrator's obsessive love, maybe a strange case of de Clérambault's. Her character is never fully fleshed out, yet her presence hangs heavy throughout the story. She's an enigma, a symbol, and a testament to the enduring power of a haunting image. Even after finishing the novel, you can't help but wonder about her and the impact she has on the narrator – and by a logical extension, the reader.
The Blind Owl is a challenging but rewarding read. It's not a book for everyone, but for those who dare to delve into its depths, it offers a truly unique and unforgettable experience. An experience I didn't even imagine was waiting for me when I picked up this rather thin volume.
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Can't say I loved this. There were many dream-like and repetitive elements that I liked, like looking at fractals, but the whole thing was too weird to really "enjoy" I guess. I might give it a second read some other day and maybe I can extract more significance from it. I like the weird fever delusion kin of vibes though.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Mental illness
the taste of the bitter stub end of a cucumber…
the interlocking female and male mandrake…
the sound of a hollow grating laugh that makes ones hair stand on end…
the distorted reflection in the mirror… the way the two distinct parts are distorted reflections upon each other, starting and ending and starting and ending in a loop. i appreciate a good plotbending storyline. breathtaking work. and also one of the hardest sub200 page books i’ve read because i have been feeling incredibly melancholic and it doesn’t mix well with the tortured state of mind of our protagonist. so haunting. *gets stabbed one million times*
the interlocking female and male mandrake…
the sound of a hollow grating laugh that makes ones hair stand on end…
the distorted reflection in the mirror… the way the two distinct parts are distorted reflections upon each other, starting and ending and starting and ending in a loop. i appreciate a good plotbending storyline. breathtaking work. and also one of the hardest sub200 page books i’ve read because i have been feeling incredibly melancholic and it doesn’t mix well with the tortured state of mind of our protagonist. so haunting. *gets stabbed one million times*
The moment I finished The Blind Owl, I knew I would have to reread it. It's a dazzling, nightmarish fever dream, marked by repeated descriptions of certain people and events which are clouded in a thick fog of the opium that the narrator smokes. The translator of the Dutch edition added a useful summary at the end which clarified some things, but I think I should revisit this book anyway. It has definitely made me curious about modern Persian literature.