As I finished reading the novel, my first thought was that I needed to read it again. As I don’t speak French I think I may have lost a lot of the meaning and I really did not understand all the nuances, word plays, anagrams and cross- references.
So where to start describing my thoughts of a literary work of this magnitude? The depth and complexity of his writing style had me captivated. It also at times seemed simple and funny although his wit was filled with irony and sarcasm.
What I gained was admiration for Nabokov and his capacity to illustrate and delve through prose into the darkest depths of human behavior. At times it read like a travelogue through the countryside of America looking at the American lifestyle. His descriptions of the motels, the chalets and hotels were vivid. There was also a feeling of a murder mystery with his hunting for the person that kidnapped Lolita from the hospital – the person who he says “broke his heart”.
Of course the main significant issue that the novel deals with is Humberts’ seduction/rape of a 12 year old schoolgirl Dolores Haze – Lolita. More importantly was his uncontrollable sexual desire for girls on the edge of puberty with nymphet bodies. He is driven to lie, to cheat, to blackmail, to bribe, to hurt, to weep and even to murder to satisfy his perverse, illicit, cruel need.
It is interesting that 60 years later the topic of pedophiles and child abuse is still relevant and prevalent in almost all societies.
What fascinated me was that Humbert as the narrator of his “curious tale” his “sorry story” left me feeling ambivalent. Sure he was a monster, a hateful person who tortures and torments and abuses Lolita, yet his mental instability his nervous breakdowns that cause him to keep returning to mental institutions left me thinking was he to blame for his actions? If it was true that his sexual development was halted when Anabel dies, leaving him with the obsessive need to molest young girls perhaps he had no choice? What was also interesting is at the end his love for Dolores seemed to override his obsession as he was prepared to accept her as a pregnant older woman having lost the bloom of youth. (17 years old?)
I give the book a 10. My favourite character is Aubrey McFate. The character I like the least was Clare Quilty.
I think this will be the most vibrant and heated book club meeting dealing with emotionally charged ideas.
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