A New Page, and a Strange Book

I like to play games, so it seems.

I added a new section to my blog. You'll find it here : Currently Reading. This way, you can see what I'm diving into between two Medium essays. And even read along with me, if you want to. I'll be glad to share reading thoughts and notes.

At the moment, I'm losing myself in The Magus. I’m only a few chapters in, and I can already feel the ground shifting.

The writing is elegant, almost disarming, like someone telling you a story at a dinner party, knowing full well they’re leaving the most important parts out. Nicholas, the narrator, isn’t particularly likable, but he’s honest in the way only someone who has no idea what they’re getting into can be. There’s a hollow kind of ambition in him, a desire to escape, to perform intelligence rather than inhabit it. Maybe that’s why he’s so easy to follow. You know he’s walking toward something bad, and you’re oddly grateful he’s doing it first.

The island hasn’t even shown its real face yet, and still everything already smells of artifice. There’s something in the tone, slightly too polished, too detached, that hints the story knows you’re watching. It’s less a novel and more a performance of a novel. And I can’t stop turning the pages.

I'm already collecting an alarming number of reading notes on this one. Enough to fuel my blog for a while. I like that this book is highly readable while being full of symbolism and references. It's one of those books that beg for a reread even though the first one's not done yet. I feel highly rewarded to have understood a probable origin for the main character's name. I'll write about it soon enough.

If you're aiming to read a relaxing book about a greek island, you should probably pass. There is an island alright. I'm not sure about the relaxing part. The French cover should be enough of a warning:

Quite evocative, isn't it?

If you’ve read The Magus (or are brave enough to start), I’d love to hear what it did to your head. And if you’re just curious where the story leads, I don’t know yet either. But it’s already a strange, beautiful mess, and I’m glad to have company on the way.

Until next time — take care of your books, and let them mess with you a little.