OMG, I read a book: What Was She Thinking? [Notes on a Scandal]

This was REALLY terrific. One of my favorite novels. I'm sure the film won't do it justice, just as Todd Field's Little Children lost much of the book's magic in the transfer (though I'm aching to see Judi's performance).

What really clinches the greatness of this book is the way it's all told through Barbara's "manuscript." What an ingenius device. We know more about Barbara through the way she described herself and others than we ever could have learned through some neutral narrator. And of course, the whole manuscript itself is really a great call for help, a way to attempt to escape her loneliness, which says so much. And I love that there's a twist on the idea of the "unreliable narrator" in that Barbara tries as hard as she can to BE reliable and tell the truth as cleanly as possible; she says as much many times. Her narrative is a plea for intimacy. But ironically, the way she compromises her truths ultimately says more than straight truth would have.

This book really has a lot to say about women, relationships, loneliness and desperation. And it says it SO entertainingly. The prose is allowed to be totally terse and bitchy, and also strangely tender and personal, all in the service of Barbara's character. It's a win/win.

Highly recommended reading. Unfortunately my long-delayed (though recently accelerated) completion of the book caused me to miss the film version while it was here. Sad. I'll probably have to catch it on video. But seriously, everyone read this book. It's SO good.

I will include in the sidebar, from now on, a log of recently read books (fiction, nonfiction, and drama) in hopes that keeping a log here on the blog will prompt me to read more. I like to be held accountable to how I spend my time, and if I see no books on my sidebar at the end of this year, I'll feel like a loser. That should be ample motivation.