Small Island

So I'm reading this book, and I start finding myself spending a lot more time scrolling aimlessly on Reddit rather than reading my book; this is a red flag.

One of the problems is that the book starts off with Hortense narrating, and she is a truly unlikeable character, just off-putting in the extreme. Then from her experiences we switch to Gilbert's, which are full of racism and very difficult to read (I know, I can't read about what other people lived through, I'm horrible). By the time it switched over to Queenie's chapters I was not getting any pleasure from reading this book, and was not really interested in what she might add to the mix. It was obvious that things were just going to be shit for these people, and they were not interesting enough to make me sit through that. I made it about halfway through the book, and most of that was because I was unconsciously afraid I would look like a racist if I didn't read and finish this book. Then I remembered that reading is my hobby, and reading (or not reading) something out of fear of what others might think is sick. So I returned the book to the library and grooved on.

Sometimes we readers find a book we love so much we can't put it down and end up reading it late into the night until we get to the end.

Sometimes we find a book that we love so much we force ourselves to set it down and save it for another day, dragging out the enjoyment of the book for days or even weeks.

Small Island was a save-it book for me. Beautiful language. Fascinating characters and setting.

I dragged this book out for weeks. Highly recommended.