The Lover

I must say that I don't entirely like the style of the novel (I absolutely hated it at first), but the plot makes it rather difficult to put the book down. I think that if it were written differently, it would have been easier to follow and perhaps more enjoyable, but thinking about it, it needs to be choppy and difficult.

The content is quite controversial in that we are listening to a really young girl talk about her sexual relationship with an older man, insinuating a sexual relationship with one or both of her brothers, a lust for a young classmate (Helene Lagonelle) and mentioning some quite sinister thoughts. She talks of a desire to kill her brother, to watch her mother die, to ravage her classmate, etc.

The girl seems kind of crazy but she is completely open and unapologetic, which makes it a little easier to read and possibly accept. I honestly don't know how to feel about the novel. The more I think about it, the more intrigued I am. Discussing the parallels of death and pleasure throughout the novel with two of my classmates helped me to understand Marguerite a little more clearly. It seems like she is never fully satisfied, never allows herself to be completely overcome by a desire or emotion and that seems to be because she doesn't want to be consumed by anything, to succumb and therefore die. A clear example of that is the acceptance of the fact that she will never marry. She also uses the phrase "unto death" I don't know how many times throughout the novel. By never allowing herself to take something to completion, she can't take it forgranted. Perhaps passion can never have a forever, it has to be fragile and shortlived.