Did Not Finish Titles [DNF] - And Why

[John F]

Originally Posted by shmn

Sorry to hear that. It's a difficult book to get through. Not because of the writing but the topic. It's a depressing subject and it's message is timely (although, the message can be considered "timely" at any time in human history) which can frighten more than horror novels.

Nevertheless, I found it to be one of the best books of 2023 and will probably read it again in a couple of years. I also found his prose to be engaging given it's sparse, relentless, stream-of consciousness style.

Although I don't necessarily agree with the goal of reading prize winners for the reason they won a prize...have you considered another Booker Prize winner which is a bit lighter in tone than Lynch's offering? Like Anita Brookner's Hotel du Lac from 1984. It's not "up-beat" but, at least, it's not dystopian.

For me, it was the writing. I don't recall DNFing a book due to topic. I really enjoyed Life of Pi, and as I recall, I liked The Remains of the Day.

I'll continue reading the winners, I'm just going to give them a little lower priority.