Review: Pale Fire

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book can be deceiving, as it doesn't look anything like a novel, but it arguably is one. It basically consists of a foreword written by one author, a 999 line poem written by another, and an extensive commentary sorted into footnotes by the first author, and an index. The commentary itself is the real novel here, as the poem itself is... all right by poetry standards, I guess. But don't ask me cause I'm not a poetry person. Protip: don't listen to Kinbote in the foreword when he says to read the commentary before, during, and after the poem. You can do whatever the hell you want with this book.

But seriously, this book was one of the most fun reading experiences I've had in a long while. If there were ever a book in which writing notes in the margins significantly enhances the experience, I'd say it was this one. Sure, it relies on a lot of cross-referencing between the poem and the index and the footnoted commentary, but the ride became such a thrill as the "story" progressed that I didn't really mind it at all.

For lack of spoilers I won't say more, except to say that as usual, Nabokov's prose is king. He's so good at writing like an egotistical maniac. Although I have to wonder if he really is one... (From what I've heard, kinda probably.)